Diverse crowd gathers at Tupelo's Veterans Park to remember the fallen
Veterans Park in east Tupelo, with its American flag-lined entrance, drew quite a crowd as the sun and clouds struck a balance for the half-hour program.
About 150 to 200 people gathered in a peaceful spot overlooking the lake — veterans representing all service branches, families of veterans, others who just wanted to pay homage and show gratitude. As they milled about before the program began, there were hellos and handshakes, hugs and high-fives.
Some used canes and walkers, a few were in strollers pushed by parents. One group arrived together on motorcycles. A bugler and a bagpiper were present, as were a mayor and a United States representative. All were welcomed.
Guntown neighbors Nancy Sides and Joyce House sat on one of the park's metal benches. It was House's third time to attend the city of Tupelo's Memorial Day program. Her sister's husband served in the Marines.
Sides had a great-uncle who died in the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II, an uncle who sustained a head injury in Vietnam and a nephew who completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
"I'm here to remember the ones who gave us the freedom to be here today," Sides said.
Marianne Sleep and Debbi Beasley came to Veterans Park to honor their fathers, both of whom served their country and came home to their families.
Sleep has attended the Memorial Day program for years to honor Robert Teyema, her father. Beasley attended for the first time on Monday. Her father, the late Ed Bishop, longtime program director at WTVA, served in Desert Storm in the National Guard.
Bill and Camille Caples experienced Memorial Day in the park for the first time this year.
"We were just talking about all the people we knew who were in the service, some who died," Camille Caples said. "This is a time to remember."
Dressed in a patriotic red, white and blue, the former Tupelo High School guidance counselor glimpsed Mayor Todd Jordan and smiled.
"I wore this same outfit when Todd Jordan was a student in high school," she said.
Jordan welcomed the crowd and offered a reminder of why all were there.
"We are here to remember those who never came home," he said, before introducing Vietnam veteran Willie Sampson, who proffered a prayer and led the Pledge of Allegiance; Hope Nanney and Camren Wages, who sang the National Anthem; and U.S Rep. Trent Kelly, the speaker for the program.
Kelly served in the Mississippi Army National Guard as a combat engineer for 39 years. He retired in April 2025 as a major general.
Kelly called attention to the words on a plaque near the lectern: "May your loved ones spend eternity with their comrades." He cited scripture in Isaiah and John that speak of one laying down his life for his friends.
From his heart, Kelly shared his own memories of lost soldiers he knew personally.
"They were not always lost in combat," he said. "But in training accidents or in other ways preparing for combat. And the scars of war don't go away. Soldiers have been lost after they come home."
Kelly recognized Gold Star families, those who have lost an immediate family member in the service of his/her country.
Martha Fleming proudly stood. On May 5, 1968, Richard Wackerfuss was killed in Vietnam. He was Martha Fleming's husband and the father of three young children — Pamela, Barbara and Richard Wallace.
Fleming later remarried Eldridge Fleming of Tupelo and moved here in 1972. She continues to attend the Memorial Day ceremony most years.
The city began hosting its annual Memorial Day program in 2007, said Leigh Ann Mattox, recreation director for Tupelo Parks & Recreation Department. Mattox coordinates the ceremony with help from the Veterans Council.
"It was 2007 when we started having two ceremonies a year," Mattox said. "One on Memorial Day and the other on Veterans Day."
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