There is an undeniable bond between veterans of all branches of military service quite similar to family.

At one time in our lives, we pledged our service up to and including our lives in defense of our country. In the heat of battle, soldiers, sailors and airmen fight to defend and protect their buddies and one another.

There is a sense of pride, called esprit de corps in the Army, for belonging to this elite group of men and women, and it extends to other branches of the service as well.

Therefore, when we hear of a veteran’s death, there is a sense of pain and sadness at losing another of kindred spirit.

From November, 2010 until the end of October, 2011, we lost 69 fellow veterans from our immediate area.

The following list reflects those we are aware of and contains some who were reared here, but died elsewhere and brought back here for burial. Also, it contains some who died here, but were interred elsewhere.

If during this period the death of a veteran’s name doesn’t appear on this list, it is not because a diligent efforts wasn’t made to obtain all names.

November, 2010

11/03/2010, Floyd A. Harris

11/16/2010, Bertrand A. Riddle, U.S. Marine Corps

11/18/2010, Marguerite Bussell, U.S. Air Force

11/21/2010, Haddox L. Twilley, U.S. Marine Corps

11/21/2010, Thomas F. Harrison

11/25/2010, Raymond L. Chance

December, 2010

12/09/2010, Leroy McCullough, U.S. Air Force

12/10/2010, Rose Jordan, U.S. Air Force

12/14/2010, Nettie F. H. Eskridge, U.S. Army Nurse Corps

12/16/2010, Franklin D. Hall

12/21/2010, Ernest Harris

12/27/2010, John H. Blanton, U.S. Navy

12/28/2010, Gerald Creel, U.S. Air Force

12/31/2010, William C. West

January, 2011

01/09/2011, Herbie J. Gray, U.S. Army

01/12/2011, Wylie L. Walker

01/16/2011, Oliver W. Lewis

01/16/2011, William J. Moore

01/21/2011, Rick Gilham, U.S. Air Force

01/23/2011, Joe H. Hitt

01/30/2011, Charles V. Yoho, U.S. Army Air Corps

February, 2011

02/10/2011, Brice Thorne, U.S. Army Air Corps

02/11/2011, Claudius Rives, U.S. Navy

02/11/2011, Thomas R. Stone, U.S. Army

02/12/2011, Eli J. Nelson, U.S. Air Force

02/14/2011, James Reed, U.S. Army/NG

02/16/2011, Carroll H. Rhyne

02/17/2011, Troy Stokes, Jr., U.S. Navy

02/24/2011, Cecil Bennett, U.S. Army

March, 2011

03/05/2011, Patrick V. Jernigan, U.S. Marine Corps

03/09/2011, Jim Grider, U.S. Air Force

03/10/2011, Joseph Allen, Navy & Air Force

03/14/2011, John H. Osmer, Jr., U.S. Army Air Corps

03/30/2011, George W. H. Lapsley

03/31/2011, Cecil L. Tennimon        U.S. Marine Corps

April, 2011

04/12/2011, Louise Epperson, U.S. Army

04/25/2011, Thomas Brooks, U.S. Air Force

04/30/2011, Willard Crump, U.S. Air Force

May, 2011

05/17/2011, Charles McLean, U.S. Army Air Corps

June, 2011

06/01/2011, Charles F. Hughes

06/15/2011, Floyd McCarver, U.S. Army

06/15/2011, Oliver Wood Till, U.S. Army

06/18/2011, William Manderson, U.S. Army

06/27/2011, Eugene Wall, U.S. Air Force

06/29/2011, Bobby E. Bridges

July, 2011

07/18/2011, Johnnie L. Johnson, U.S. Army

07/20/2011, Linda G. C. Howell

07/26/2011, John C. Reynolds, U.S. Air Force

August, 2011

08/03/2011, John A. Pickering

08/14/2011, Joe Rives, Sr., U.S. Navy

08/15/2011, Robert Redd, Sr., U.S. Navy

08/16/2011, Lloyd Crowley, U.S. Army

08/18/2011, James Smith, U.S. Army Air Corps

08/18/2011, Henry M. Gilley, U.S. Air Force

08/28/2011, Raymond L. Motes, U.S. Army

September, 2011

09/02/2011, Elmer “Sollie” Oliver, U.S. Air Force

09/07/2011, Rudolph Burmer, U.S. Army

09/08/2011, Donald Carden, U.S. Army/NG

09/15/2011, Herman Parten, U.S. Army

09/17/2011, Joseph V. Oakes, U.S. Navy

09/19/2011, James Cottle, U.S. Air Force/ Army NG

09/28/2011, Evard L. Ross, U.S. Army

09/30/2011, Harold Curtis, U.S. Army

October, 2011

10/06/2011, Neil A. Epler, U.S, Army

10/07/2011, James Wheeler, U.S. Navy

10/18/2011, Richard Baldwin, U.S. Navy

10/25/2011, Hugh D. Mauldin, U.S, Navy

10/27/2011, R.J. “Frenchie” Labbe, U.S.Army/ NG

10/29/2011, Thomas “Gene” Acton, U.S, Navy

This list is presented in an effort to pay respect and remembrance to our fellow veterans’ service to our nation. May God have mercy on their souls and may they rest in eternal peace.

As a reminder, the American Legion no longer decorates individual graves in the cemeteries with American flags.

It is up to the veterans’ family and friends to keep their graves decorated. In most instances observed, flags on individual graves are in need of replacing.

Flags are fairly inexpensive and can be bought locally at several business locations.

Veterans Day is an excellent time to decorate or replace tattered and torn American flags on veteran’s graves.

If you have relatives or friends in a local cemetery, do them the honor of remembering on this special day. You might want to consider, as I do, adopting a few graves of those who have no family nearby to attend to their grave.

Personally, I have no relatives buried here, but I have adopted five and will see to it they have bright new grave flags for Veterans Day. The time and cost is minimal and our deceased veterans are certainly deserving of the effort. I encourage you to do the same, even in their absence, be sure to remember and care.