Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
File photo The Portales American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars organizations hold Memorial Day ceremonies each year to honor military members killed in the line of duty. Both organizations will be holding ceremonies on Monday.
STAFF WRITER
With Memorial Day happening this Monday, local veteran’s organizations are set to hold events honoring their fallen brothers and sisters.
File photo
The Portales American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars organizations hold Memorial Day ceremonies each year to honor military members killed in the line of duty. Both organizations will be holding ceremonies on Monday.
The Portales American Legion’s annual Memorial Day program will take place at the Portales cemetery at 10:30 a.m. and will feature guest speaker Col. Ahave Brown of Cannon Air Force Base, according to Portales legion adjutant Dennis Darrow.
According to a press release, in addition to the address by Brown, the full program will feature a performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” by Franklin Smith, associate pastor at Central Christian Church in Portales and a Memorial Day reading by Don Criss of KENW-TV.
The program, Darrow said, is important to remind the community of the military’s sacrifice.
“We’re observing the loss of our military in battle, and we’re trying to show our respect for the deceased,” he said. “It’s a day of remorse, and we need to celebrate it in respect to the deceased.”
In addition to the legion’s program, the Portales Veterans of Foreign Wars will be holding a service of their own on Monday.
According to Mike Woolley of the Portales VFW, they will be partnering with Roosevelt County’s 4-H and Future Farmers of America organizations, who will be hanging a wreath on the war memorial on the square in downtown Portales. The wreath, he said, was custom made and features wheat, cotton, yucca and other items that are synonymous with eastern New Mexico.
The ceremony will begin at noon, Woolley said, and will see Bryan Tabor, a veteran and pastor of Arch Baptist Church, delivering the prayer, and veteran Vivian Cato playing “Taps.”
The idea to involve local youth, Woolley said, came from a desire to involve “leadership makers,” such as 4-H and FFA in veteran-related events.
“We’re trying to get these kids’ heads around what a lot of these folks have done. We’re simply trying to bring our future leaders on board and let them understand the sacrifices of the people that have gone before them,” Woolley said.
