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MURFREESBORO – Standing by the veteran memorial etched with names of local servicemen and women, Murfreesboro Mayor Hal Thomas welcomed attendees to the town’s Memorial Day ceremony.

The annual event was held on Monday, May 26 on the grounds of Town Hall, and Mayor Pro Tem Berna Stephens opened the ceremony with prayer.

Memorial Day originated in 1868 as Decoration Day, explained Mayor Thomas. On that occasion, people were urged to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers to honor their ultimate sacrifice. After World War I, the day became known as Memorial Day, and then in 1967, it officially became a nationally recognized holiday.

Mayor Thomas also shared a brief history of the town’s memorial monument. He recounted how a group of 14 local men, spearheaded by the late Joe Dickerson, worked together to make the monument a reality. Thomas urged the crowd to take a moment after the ceremony to read the names carved in the stone.

During his remarks, Thomas shared two quotes from past presidents on remembering soldiers who sacrificed all.

The first was from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated this ground far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”

The second came from John F. Kennedy, who once said, “as we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to other words but to live by them.”

Mayor Thomas then spoke about honoring not only soldiers but also the American flag they fought for.

“We honor our flag every day. It is a symbol of our freedom that we have. The flag means many different things to our veterans,” he said.

Those meanings can include the solemn oath a soldier takes to defend the country, a symbol of freedom and sacrifice, and a reminder of those who were lost in battle.

“Even those who may see the flag as mere fabric and thread, it is inexorably linked to the spirit of our country. A red, white, and blue reflection of all that our country is, was, and can be,” he continued.

Mayor Thomas then led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Thomas, who served as a Master Sergeant in the US Air Force before retiring, concluded his remarks by reading the poem “I am a Veteran” written by Andrea Brett.

Members of the Murfreesboro Police Department – Chief David Griffith, Captain Derek Burke, and Sgt. McKinley Jordan – then conducted the annual changing of the flag ceremony.

On special occasions, such as Memorial Day, the town flies a flag that was donated in 2007 by the office of former US Senator Elizabeth Dole. During the ceremony each year, the police department removes the flag, carefully folds it, and then presents it back to the mayor who returns it to where it is displayed in Town Hall. They then fly the town’s regular flag in its place.

This year’s Memorial Day event ended with Mayor Thomas and Chief Griffith placing a wreath in front of the veteran memorial – a nod to the holiday’s origins as Decoration Day – and then Stephens offered up a prayer of benediction.

The wreath was donated by Murfreesboro’s Coffee Club.