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Staff Photo by Margaret Fenton-- Members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203 walk away from the podium after presenting the American flag and the Tennessee state flag at the beginning of the Memorial Day service at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.
More than 1,500 people gathered in the Chattanooga National Cemetery today for a tearful Memorial Day tribute to military servicemen and women.
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., called on the community to continue to support military families and returning veterans throughout Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia.
“It is the families that have to endure the heartache,” said Rep. Wamp. “It is the families that pay the price.”
Rep. Wamp said veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have an “unacceptable suicide rate,” and some of that can be attributed to the stresses of multiple deployments, he said.
“We should all strive to serve those who serve us in uniform,” said Rep. Wamp.
Wanda Colston Gee, 65, from Whitwell, Tenn., was one of many military widows at the ceremony. Her husband, James D. Gee, fought in the Army during the Vietnam War and died from expose to Agent Orange, she said.
Military officials gave her and the other widows, the Gold Star Wives, white roses during the ceremony to commemorate their sacrifice.
“It was beautiful,” said Mrs. Gee, who was dressed all in yellow and sat in a wheelchair. “The service was patriotic and honored the good God above.”
Paul H. Martin, director of the Chattanooga National Cemetery, said attendance at the Memorial Day service was similar to last year.
“It was fantastic,” he said, after the service. “It brought back memories for those who served.”
Over the course of the day, he said, he expects nearly 10,000 people to come to the cemetery, visiting graves and laying flowers by gravestones.
Joan Garrett has been a staff writer for the Times Free Press since August 2007. Before becoming a general assignment writer for the paper, she wrote about business, higher education and the court systems. She grew up the oldest of five sisters near Birmingham, Ala., and graduated with a master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism from the University of Alabama. Before landing her first full-time job as a reporter at the Times Free Press, she ...
A fitting tribute. Let us always remember.
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