Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony allows those in Summers County a chance to reflect on the cost of freedom
HINTON, WV (WVNS) – The local community and veterans gathered at the Summers County Memorial Building to pay their respects to deceased service men and women.
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This Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony featured speakers like West Virginia District 10 State Senator Jack Woodrum and West Virginia District 040 Delegate Roy Cooper, who is also a veteran.
Senator Woodrum said he is fortunate enough to have known very involved veterans that are now passed like World War I veterans and Curt Messer, who used to speak at Memorial Day and Veteran's Day ceremonies in Summers County.
'Summers County and West Virginia has a very high rate of military enlistment. Most of the conflicts that our country has been engaged in, people in West Virginia have been very involved in those conflicts. So, being able to recognize that, to teach the younger generations about service, about what it means to be an American – those are very important things to me and to the people that show up for this event. Almost everybody here has lost family members or friends in combat. It is important for us to be able to come out and remember them and think about them,' said Senator Woodrum.
One theme each speaker kept coming back to was the fact that Memorial Day is not necessarily a celebration. It is a time to reflect on the sacrifices that were made to keep the United States of America a free country.
Veterans who are still living were also honored at this event for their service.
'The country cannot forget those who allowed the country to be free and safe for them. So any time that anybody in any community is able to come around and show their gratitude, it means a lot to the veterans. I think it means a lot to the country, too, that they come to realize and pass on to [the next] generations just exactly what it took to make us free and stable in a pretty contentious world,' said Robert Bennett, a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy.
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Bennett is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4500. He said if others would like to join on learn more information, they can show up to the Veteran's Memorial Museum of Southern West Virginia in Hinton. Bennett explained that folks should speak with Tim Wheeler there for more information.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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