MOSS POINT—The solemnity of the eleventh day of November on the eleventh hour and the eleventh minute is a silence recognized around the globe as a small recognition of the huge thanks offered to Veterans. Americans honor these heroes on Veterans Day while In the U.K. and other Commonwealth countries, it’s Remembrance Day. In France and Belgium, it’s still called Armistice Day.
On November 11, 1918, an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations effectively ended the Great War after millions of casualties and signaled the first time in more than four years that guns and cannons on the Western Front fell quiet.
The tradition continues in Moss Point on the bluff of the Escatawpa River at the Jackson County Veterans Memorial in the city’s downtown park where all Veterans that lived or worked in Jackson County, living and deceased, are honored.
Steve Seely, a member of Moss Point Rotary, is one of the Rotarians responsible for maintaining the memorial that was dedicated in April of 2001. Each year Rotary partners with Moss Point Main Street to host a ceremony to honor those who answered the call to serve the country.
“Every year we try to offer a little something different during the ceremony,” Seely said of the ceremony that draws a large number of local veterans and veteran families.
This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, November 11, and will feature Captain Harry L. Marsh as guest speaker. Capt. Marsh is the Commanding Officer of the PCU Bougainville (LHA8). Other local veterans will assist in the ceremony by presenting a wreath for fallen veterans and the reading of the names on the memorial.
“It is a moving ceremony that is open to the public,” Seely said. The memorial is visible from Main Street in Moss Point and open year-round. It was established by the late John Welch, a Korean War Veteran serving in the U.S. Marine Corps who was also a long time Rotarian.
Organizers say that the Veterans Day Program is a time to reflect, remember, and give thanks for the sacrifices made to preserve our freedom. Along with local veterans, this year’s ceremony will include community leaders and other special tributes to those who gave everything in service to the United States.
The American Flag and the flags of all branches of service wave on the bluff throughout the year and are replaced twice a year. In addition to the flags, the memorial includes several granite memorial walls with the names of veterans, living and deceased, who lived and worked in Jackson County.
