Mingo Junction recalls 47 residents lost to war

MINGO JUNCTION -- About 50 village residents turned out on Monday for the village's annual Memorial Day service to remember the 47 village residents who were killed in action defending the freedom of the country.

Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Graham delivered the Memorial Day address.

Graham thanked the men and women who have served or are serving in the military.

"There is no greater love that a person can show than the willingness to offer your life so that others can remain free. We must acknowledge the debt we owe to these men and women who, because they love freedom, chose to offer their life literally or gave up their own freedom for six years or more to fight evil throughout the world," Graham said.

"The soldiers know right from wrong. They know we must fight evil and that there is evil. We have to know why we fight. We have to know what is truly right. Those in the military know or they would not fight. We call it military service. The persons in the military perform a service like nobody else. Many times these military persons who do this, not for themselves, but for you and me, remain nameless, in some cases maybe even forgotten. But we are here today to say to all who serve we will not forget you. We will not let our children forget you. We will not let our enemies forget you. And to our enemies we say this: We are slow to anger but, if you attack us, if you attack what we cherish, which is our freedom and love for each other, then we will respond with an unending resolve and we will win because we are right.

"Again, we thank all the military persons here and not here today, for we know you fight for your families and ours. You fight for freedom. You fight for our children, our morality, our values and our way of life. So let us not forget those who chose the military way of life, who chose duty before anything else, who put us ahead of themselves. We are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave. And for that bravery, we say to the veterans, thank you," Graham said.

Bob Smith, American Legion Post 351 commander, read the names of the village residents who were killed in action ,and members of the post did the 21-gun salute.

Rose Angelica played taps and sang patriotic songs. Barb Jackson placed the Memorial Day wreath.