McCullough Funeral Home joins Rolling Thunder GA-3 mission

A Chair of Honor and the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag is now on permanent display at the McCullough Funeral Home in Warner Robins. Rolling Thunder Georgia Chapter 3 organization held an unveiling ceremony Tuesday at the funeral home. President and owner of McCullough Funeral Home, Michael McNeal, shared his appreciation for what Rolling Thunder brings to the community.

“We live in a great community,” said McNeal. “We live in a great country. It makes me prideful to go around this community and see American flags flying, and now to be able to see the POW/MIA flags. We are honored to be able to be one of the businesses in this community who can stand for that and can stand behind our Armed Forces.”

Family members of the late John Frank Ryals were special guests at Tuesday’s ceremony. John Ryals, son of John Frank Ryals, said his father was a prisoner of war in World War II.

“My father served in the Army in the 79th Infantry Division,” said Ryals. “He was captured by the Germans and was a POW for close to 100 days.”

John Ryals’ mother Nell shared that her husband kept a New Testament during his captivity that he also written everything that had happened to him in it. She said they tried to take it from him, but he wouldn’t let them have it. All of the Ryals family said the ceremony was very special for them.

Many public safety officers were in attendance along with local and state elected officials. Houston County Commissioner Tom McMichael shared with those in attendance that his late Uncle Cook was POW.

“He was in the Army Air Force and shortly after he landed in Germany he was captured by the Japanese,” said McMichael. “He was a prisoner for three years and survived the Bataan Death March. He too kept a New Testament and diary of what happened to him that he kept hid. I remember when he arrived back home he was nothing but skin and bones.”

McNeal also challenged other businesses in town to join in on the mission of Rolling Thunder Georgia Chapter 3 and fly the POW/MIA flag daily. For more information you can contact Rolling Thunder at rolling.thunder.ga3@gmail.com.

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