Since World War I, 173 Hattiesburg-area members of the military have given their lives in the service of their country.
Those individuals – along with all those across the country who have died in service – were honored at Hattiesburg’s 41st annual Memorial Day Program, which was held May 27 at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Hattiesburg. The ceremony was hosted by the Hattiesburg Veterans Committee.
“We as a community stand proudly as a veterans’ community,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “We feel the weight of knowing that 173 men gave their lives in defense of our nation’s freedom and ideals.
“We reflect on their stories and what individual aspirations, families and contributions were cut short because of that sacrifice. To our Gold Star families: this ceremony, at its core, exists for you and your soldier. We speak your loved one’s name so he is never forgotten.”
The ceremony kicked off with the singing of the National Anthem by Audray Holt, a music and theater major at William Carey University. That was followed by the posting of flags from each of the branches of the United States military, which was handled by VFW Post 3036.
Shortly thereafter, the names of all 173 fallen soldiers – which are etched on the park’s granite pillars – were read, with the tolling of a bell after each one.
Col. (Ret.) Sheila Varnado shared the story of Marine Corps SGT Harold Hammett, a Petal resident who was 24 when he perished on November 20, 1943 at the Battle of Tarawa during World War II. On February 16, graveside services were held for Hammett – who for 81 years had been interred on Betio Island in South Tarawa – as Roseland Park Cemetery in Hattiesburg, after his remains were identified and sent home for burial.
Hammett’s remains had previously been determined as “non-recoverable” until January 2013, when Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found Hammett’s family and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. This contact re-established lines of communication with Hammett’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered his sister and niece the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Sample, which was necessary for his identification.
“He is home now,” Varnado said. “May God rest the spirit of sergeant Hammett, as he is now reunited with his parents (who are interred at the cemetery).”
Holt then sang “Go Rest High on the Mountain” in honor of the 173 Hattiesburg-area veterans and the more than 1.3 million men and women who gave their lives in defense of the country since the Revolutionary War in 1775 through 2004.
“My mother is here today and her father – my grandfather, Kenneth Williams – served in the National Guard for a little over six years, and my other grandfather … served in the Air Force for a little over for years,” Holt said. “I thank you all for letting me be here today to remember them.”
LTC (Ret.) Fred Varnado sang “God Bless America”, and Matthew Beall performed “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes. The ceremony was closed out with a 21-gun salute by the Camp Shelby MATES and “Taps” was played on the bugle by Patrick Gray on VFW Post 3036 Honor Guard.
