Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony on the Wood County courthouse lawn in Quitman paid tribute to those who have fallen in defense of the freedoms Americans enjoy.

Guest speaker Mike Billman said this is not a celebration but a commemoration to pay homage to those who gave all to help preserve the American way.

Five families were recognized for the loss of their loved one in service to country:

Lance Corporal Shane Goldman, 2011 in Iraq.

Sergeant Josh Powell, 2011 in Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Richard Vasquez, 2103 in Afghanistan.

Private Lincoln Wright, 1972 in Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant Charles Allen, wounded in Korea and captured, died in prison camp 1951.

Billman said he cannot imagine what it’s like to lose a loved one, noting that 1.8 million Americans have made that sacrifice.

“No one joined the military thinking they will sacrifice their lives,” he said, though they know it is a possibility.

They do so out of a sense of service and duty.

Every day is Memorial Day for those who have suffered that loss, he said.

One of the great things about this country is the monuments that are in place to help remember, he noted.

Billman said he likes to take the time to read them all, sometimes getting prompts from his family to move along.

“It helps me get a better sense of what was given,” he said.

Kids need to hear about those sacrifices, he said, to keep some of the focus on the past.

Take them to a battlefield or a museum and let them experience it and see how lucky they are, he concluded.

The ceremony included raising the American flag from half mast to full. The tradition is that it remains at half mast from daybreak until noon to honor the ultimate sacrifice, to express grief and gratitude, and then full mast the remainder of the day to show the commitment to carry on those freedoms.

The annual service is held adjacent to the county war memorial, since its installment in 2000, although the service had to be skipped in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic concerns.