Wednesday, November 11, 2009

PRCC honors country’s veterans

     HATTIESBURG - America’s servicemen and women need only the appreciation of their country to make their sacrifices bearable.
      That was the message Wednesday from Army SSgt. Dain Ledbetter of Chattanooga during the first Veterans Day Observance at Pearl River Community College’s Forrest County Center.
      A decorated veteran of the war in Iraq, Ledbetter is training at Camp Shelby for deployment again with the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment of the Tennessee National Guard.
      “We do what we do for you,” Ledbetter said. “All I ask in response is gratitude. You don’t have to buy me dinner. You don’t have to buy me lunch. You don’t have to buy me a beer.
      “We’re not forced into the military. We do it because we love it. It’s my duty and honor to provide security for my kids and for you. All we ask and all we’ll ever ask is gratitude.”
      The Forrest County Center History and Humanities Club sponsored the observance with help from the Baptist Student Union and Petal-Harvey Baptist Church, which provided lunch and paper for letters to be sent to Mississippi’s 155th Brigade Combat Team in Iraq.
      “The ceremony means more because of the friends I have over there,” said PRCC nursing student Julia Magee of Oakvale, a private first class in the 155th who did not deploy because she is pregnant.
      Although she served in Iraq with the brigade in 2005, she acknowledges she doesn’t think about her fellow soldiers’ sacrifices every day.
      “Sometimes it takes a day set aside for something to open your eyes,” Magee said. “And that’s sad because it’s something that should be remembered every day.”
      Her comments echoed an essay by 12-year-old Dylan Fields who wrote it for class at South Forrest Attendance Center.
      “Every time we see a U.S. service man or woman, we should just tell them thank you,” he read from the essay. “Remember, the right time to honor our military heroes is every day.”
      The “long, unbroken line” of veterans and today’s service members makes possible the freedoms many Americans take for granted, said Van Alford of Hattiesburg, a PRCC graduate and veteran of the Marine Corps and Army currently serving with the 177th Armored Brigade at Camp Shelby.
      “So much that is good in this nation depends on the actions of men and women who understand duty,” he said. “There is no mystery behind the success and endurance of American liberty.”