WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — During Memorial Day, many took the time to cherish and remember the sacrifices made by those who fell in the line of duty defending the nation, including the city of Warner Robins, in a Moment of Remembrance ceremony held in front of City Hall on May 29.
The event opened with a prayer from Second Baptist Church Pastor Jim Perdue, who thanked God for blessing the nation, and explained that sacrifices made led to freedoms seen today.
“Today on this day, we want to thank You for the freedoms that we experience here in the United States of America; the joy that we have, knowing that we are in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
“We also know that we don’t take these freedoms lightly. The freedom we experience was purchased, paid for with blood. It reminds us of the price that Christ paid to purchase our freedom and forgiveness of sins,” Perdue said.
Mayor LaRhonda Patrick led the event. Having grown up surrounded by military, the mayor showed thanks to her family and sympathy to those who have lost loved ones. She also expressed a commitment to honoring the military’s commitment to serve.
“We make sure that we always remember those who serve our great country. We thank you; we honor you for your service and your continued sacrifice. And we also want to make sure we always remember those who have fought for us either in war, deployment, or just in regular duty, who sacrificed just for us,” Patrick said.
She said Memorial Day is much deeper for military, and is honored to observe the holiday alongside her family. She also thanked the crowd for honoring alongside.
After Patrick’s speech, William Carey, a Vietnam veteran, took the podium and read a poem from Annette Wynne called “Memorial Day.”
After Carey, The Warner Robins Police and Fire Honor Guard presented the colors, while local resident Tammy Urbansky played a rendition of Taps.
Finally, Mayor Patrick thanked the crowd for attending.
“Any of you who have lost a military service member, you are in our thoughts, you are in our prayers and we appreciate you and thank you for your service and your continued sacrifice as you still grieve your loved one who fought for our freedoms,” Patrick said,
Multiple veterans’ groups, as well as community leaders, city staff, and the public came to the short, but service-oriented ceremony. Reflecting with the Journal, Mayor Patrick said she felt great seeing the community come out for a good cause, especially after multiple events throughout the county.
“To finish it off here and have so much participation from the community means a lot to me They know that I support them and it’s good to know they support us as well,” Patrick said.
The community honoring the fallen runs parallel to the city’s dedication as well, as she explained
Patrick said, “It’s important to the city of Warner Robins and to my administration to always honor our military service members, and also those who we have lost as they have fought for our freedoms. Anything honoring our military is important to me, so it’s important to us.”
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