Brandon Layne, Ryan Garvey, Jedd Davis, Peter Tetune, from left, with Chattanooga Composite Squadron 192, Civil Air Patrol, wait to post the colors Monday to begin the Memorial Day ceremony in Cleveland.
Richard Pace, retired colonel, U.S. Army, gives the address Monday for Cleveland’s downtown Memorial Day ceremony on the courthouse plaza.CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The names of Bradley County’s war dead from World War I until now echoed around the courthouse square Monday, read by members of Chattanooga Composite Squadron 192, Civil Air Patrol, as part of a Memorial Day ceremony.
Likewise, the 192 names of Bradley County veterans who died during the past 12 months were read aloud by Mayor Tom Rowland, accompanied by a drum roll and taps from Cleveland High School band members.
“You are the living memory of those who gave their lives,” retired U.S. Army Col. Richard Pace, the guest speaker, told the audience standing and sitting in the shade across from the Bradley Courthouse Plaza.
Some of the audience wore military uniforms from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.
Pace, coordinator of the Church of God Chaplains Commission, reminded the audience that no medals or folded flags can fill the hole in the hearts of mothers grieving for sons and daughters who gave their lives for the country.