Twin Lakes Area residents took a moment Monday to honor those killed while fighting for their country. A crowd of about 200 filled the Veterans Plaza in downtown Mountain Home for the community’s annual Memorial Day ceremony.
Dan Hall, commander of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 30 in Mountain Home, served as the event’s keynote speaker.
Hall talks about what the Memorial Day holiday means.
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Hall says Americans have reaped the benefits of the ultimate sacrifices made by American servicemen.
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In addition to honoring those fallen in combat, Hall asked the crowd to remember and help those that went off to war and returned home injured or suffering from an illness tied to their deployment.
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Hall, himself a Vietnam War veteran, noted that while the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. displays the names of 58,000 Americans who died in that war but more than twice that number died from their wounds or illnesses after returning home.
Monday’s ceremony was organized by the North Central Arkansas Veterans Council the Mountain Home DAV chapter.
It began with the posting of the colors by members of the area’s veterans organizations and included patriotic music from the Mountain Home High School Band’s brass ensemble. Raquel Houk sang The National Anthem, and the American Legion Post 52 Honor Guard conducted a rifle volley and performed ‘Taps’ to close the ceremony.
Attendees were invited to VFW Post 3246 after the ceremony for refreshments.
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