Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. It is a time to pay respect to those who will never be forgotten. How do you repay a solider for making the ultimate sacrifice? The answer can be summed up in one word, remembrance.

As a military sanctuary city, it’s not hard to find evidence of the appreciation the Fayetteville community has for service members. From the Hero’s Homecoming celebration to the Field of Honor to the 31 Day Salute that occur throughout the city, the people in Fayetteville show up time and again to honor those who protect and defend this great nation. As the country celebrates this Memorial Day, don’t forget to take a moment to remember our fallen and the sacrifices they made.

Don Talbot is the coordinator for the Freedom Memorial Park Memorial Day Ceremony. Each year he dedicates his time and talents to ensure that the sacrifice of our soldiers and their families is not forgotten. The Memorial Day ceremony is held at Freedom Memorial Park on the corner of Hay Street and Bragg Boulevard, across from the Airborne & Special Operation Museum. The ceremony will commence on Memorial Day, Monday May 28, promptly at 11 a.m. In the words of Talbot “You need to go!”

Brigadier General Ferdinand Irizarry II of Fort Bragg’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School will be the guest speaker. He is the first active-duty Civil Affairs officer to be promoted to one-star general and is the deputy commander of the school. Other features at the ceremony include: the missing-man presentation, a 21-gun salute and bag pipes playing Amazing Grace.

The ceremony is a formal memorial service, and has received overwhelming support. The ceremony which has seating room for 300 had an attendance of about 800 in 2011. Even if the event is standing-room only, it is a small price to pay to honor those who have laid down their lives for our freedom.

Freedom Memorial Park will be a standing monument to veterans of the present, past and future even after Memorial Day is over. For those who have lost loved ones Memorial Day is every day, and the park is a way to honor their memories. You can contribute by making a donation to Freedom Memorial Park or by purchasing a paver or brick to be placed in the park, to carry on the memory of your beloved solider. For more information go to www. freedommemorialpark.com.

Photo: The Memorial Day ceremony is held at Freedom Memorial Park on the corner of Hay
Street and Bragg Boulevard.