Today at 12:15 p.m., Larry Bass, former Mayor Tony Byrne, Sam Banister, and I will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery to honor Miss-Lou veterans.

Larry and I grew up in Natchez and graduated from Natchez High in 1967. Larry manages an IT business in Baltimore. Sam is a colleague and long-time friend of Larry’s and also lives in Baltimore. Tony Byrne is a well-known and respected former mayor. He was elected mayor of Natchez in 1968 and served 20 consecutive years.

My wife, Leigh, and I moved to Natchez in 2007. We are both retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and are also U.S. Air Force veterans.

Larry, Tony, Sam and I are an unlikely but very lucky quartet. Today is a privilege that we could not have anticipated and we are grateful for the opportunity to honor Miss-Lou veterans and their families.

Larry and I have been here before and on behalf of Natchez Adams County High School, classes of 1960s, laid a wreath on Dec. 1, 2001. We received a flag following that ceremony that was folded by the Sentinel and we gifted it to Natchez.

The flag since has been missing, but we are confident to locate it and give it a respectful and rightful place in the city.

Today, we will receive two flags. Although details are not final, a ceremony will be coordinated for a veterans’ event during Natchez’s tricentennial celebration in 2016 and the flags we receive today will be dedicated at that time.

Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families; it stands on top of a hill overlooking Washington, D.C., and is considered by many veterans to be our most sacred place.

I think a visit to Arlington should be on every American’s bucket list. There is no way to replicate the experience of being there and feeling Arlington. The Changing of the Guard is a ceremony of honor and respect where words are not necessary, where silence is piercing, and the cost of freedom rings loudest.

Many thanks are due Larry Bass. Due to his tenacious nature and patience, we will again share this privilege of honoring Miss-Lou veterans. If you would like to contact us for more information, please email alumni@natchez-rebels.org.

 

Lynn DeLaughter

Natchez resident