HC marks Memorial Day by placing flags, with observance service

Henry County residents will have the opportunity to celebrate Memorial Day by placing flags on the graves of veterans, observing flag raising at the Henry County Courthouse and attending Memorial Day observance and remembrance services in Mt. Pleasant and New London on Monday, May 27.

Memorial Day plans are made by The Avenue of Flags and Henry County Veterans Memorial Committee.

Flags will be placed on veteran's graves throughout the county on Thursday, May 23, at 4 p.m. Flags will be placed in Forest Home, Old City and St. Alphonsus Cemeteries under the supervision of Stan Hill, Bob Svidal and Pat White with the assistance of the Boy Scouts.

Anyone is welcome to volunteer at Forest Home. Flags can only be placed if there is a flag holder at the gravesite. It is the responsibility of family members to make sure those flag holders are in place.

Flags will be raised on the lawn of the Henry County Courthouse on Saturday, May 25, at 8 a.m. They will remain flying for four days and be retired on Tuesday, May 28, at 4 p.m., weather permitting. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to volunteer in the raising and retiring of the flags.

Memorial Day observance will be held at Mt. Pleasant Community High School in the gymnasium on Monday, May 27, at 10:30 a.m. The event will begin with the presentation of colors by members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and AMVETS Posts and Auxiliaries.

Avenue of Flags chairman and honor Guard Commander Dean King will serve as master of ceremonies. Pastor Steve English, pastor of First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, will deliver the invocation and benediction.

The Mt. Pleasant Community High School band, under the direction of Jim DePriest, will play patriotic music before the program begins as well as the national anthem.

Nick McCormick and Yorke Prough, who are the 2019 Boys State representatives from the American Legion Post 58, will read General Logan's orders.

Students from elementary schools in Mt. Pleasant will present a musical presentation of the Gettysburg Address and Battle Hymn of the Republic and another selection, 'Remember to Remember.” This will be under the direction of Shari Moeller and Katie Townsend.

Steve Titus, president of Iowa Wesleyan University, will be the featured speaker at this year's observance. He served as an officer in Germany during Desert Storm and was on the Army staff in the Pentagon as the legal adviser for the deputy assistant secretary of the Army.

The 10 names that have been added to the memorial since last Veterans Day will be recognized along with their families. This brings the total number of names to 1,397 engraved on the memorial.

After the benediction, the Honor Guard will fire a three-volley salute followed with taps by members of the MPCHS band.

The names that have been added to the memorial are Robert Eugene O'Connor, Dale Robert Willis, Jay F. Bussert, W. Harold Upton, Earl H. Mabeus, Robert G. Shaffer, James B. Snodgrass, Lyle Vernon Swan, Kenneth L. Gillispie and John L. Voyles.

New London will observe their Memorial Day Remembrance on Monday, May 27, at 2 p.m. The service will be held at the New London Veteran's Memorial. In case of inclement weather, it will be moved to VFW Post 7641 at 802 East McKinley in New London. Guests are asked to bring their own lawn chairs.