Latest news with #Sonnier
American Press
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
Freedom Festival: Celebrate an old-fashion Fourth of July
Gracelynn Bass of Lake Charles and Birelle Doucet of Lake Arthur were among the young contestants in the watermelon eating contest during last year's Freedom Fest in Lake Arthur. This year's festival, which will be held 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday in Lake Arthur Park, will feature sack races, greasy pig contest, cardboard boat races, a parade, live music, food vendors and more. (Doris Maricle / American Press) The town of Lake Arthur is buzzing with excitement as it prepares to host its third annual Freedom Fest, a celebration of community spirit, patriotic pride and good old-fashioned family fun. This year's star-spangled event will take place 10 a.m.- 10 p.m. Saturday in and around Lake Arthur Park. 'The old-fashioned Fourth of July was very popular in Lake Arthur in the years past,' Alderwoman Debbie Abshire Sonnier said. 'It was a fun, family-day event to celebrate Independence Day, and when we rejuvenated this event, we wanted it to be like the old-fashioned Fourth of July.' The free festival promises a nostalgic Fourth of July experience for everyone, she said. 'We invite everyone to come out and enjoy this great festival that we have to honor our independence and our veterans,' Sonnier said. The celebration will feature old-time games as attendees can look forward to a variety of activities and entertainment for all ages. The celebration will include a cornhole tournament at 10 a.m. jump-rope contest at 11 a.m., sack races at noon, watermelon eating contest at 12:30 p.m., greasy pig contest at 1 p.m. hula hoop contest at 2:30 p.m., cardboard boat races at 3 p.m., tug-of-war at 4 p.m., limbo contest at 7:30 p.m. and glow sticks at 8 p.m. All activities are free, except for a $20 cornhole entry. 'The cardboard races are normally our biggest event,' Sonnier said. 'It's fun to see how creative people can be with cardboard and what they do to make it float, along with all the designs they have.' The parade is set to begin at 6 p.m., with lineup at 5:30 p.m. on Arthur Avenue between Third and Fourth streets, near the JD Bank. The parade will feature golf carts, bicycles, all-terrain vehicles, classic cars and decorated floats. This year's grand marshals are Ronald Joe Guidry, who served as a U.S. Army Specialist 4th Class, and Barbara Conner, who served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. The junior grand marshals will be Gold Star family members Carleigh and Justin 'J.J.' Everett, whose father, Justin, was an active-duty service member killed in a motorcycle accident. Live entertainment will kick off at 10:30 a.m. with the lively sounds of Phil Hebert and the Crazy Cajuns, followed by T.J. Gautreaux and Louisiana Soul at 2 p.m. Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners will close out the evening with a performance from 6:45-9:30 p.m. 'We've spaced the entertainment out this year so that it will give people a chance to go and watch their children and youth in the activities,' Sonnier said. Food vendors will also be located throughout the park, offering a variety of food and drinks, including barbecue plate lunches, turkey legs, hamburgers, hot dogs, Frito pie, egg rolls, dumplings, funnel cakes, pretzels, edible cookie dough, ice cream and snow cones, lemonade and cotton candy and more. As the day draws to a close, a fireworks display will illuminate the sky over the lake at 9:30 p.m., providing a memorable finale. Families are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets to comfortably enjoy the celebration. Ice chests are permitted, but no glass containers will be allowed.
American Press
06-05-2025
- General
- American Press
Veterans, family, community gather to honor life, sacrifice of Elton soldier
Sandria Doyle still remembers when her brother, Specialist 4 Albert 'Billy' Sonnier, visited home while in the military and before deploying to Vietnam as an infantryman in 'Charlie' Company of the legendary 1st Cavalry Division. Even as a young girl, Doyle remembers her older brother as a cool, intelligent, quiet spirit with a huge heart. 'I may have been young when he was killed in Vietnam, but I can remember him coming home in that uniform and being so proud to be a soldier, and he always had a gift for me,' she said. Sonnier, a native of Elton and a 1960 graduate of Katie B. Thomas High School in Elton, died during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Vietnam War. A special ceremony to commemorate his service and sacrifice was held Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Jennings. Several veterans of the famous battle, including Medal of Honor recipient retired Army Col. Joe Marm, attended the event to honor Sonnier. The battle, which was an intense conflict of the Vietnam War, was the focus of the book and film 'We Were Soldiers.' Doyle recounted how her brother would write letters home, sharing his experiences and asking for prayers for himself and his fellow soldiers. His final letter indicated he wouldn't be writing for a while but still requested their continued prayers. Soon after, the family received the heartbreaking news of his death. Doyle, who was 10 at the time, remembers the somber visit of two uniformed military personnel who delivered the devastating news to her mother and father. Sonnier had been mortally wounded while defending his position under enemy fire. Notably, all four of Doyle's brothers served their country, with one also being wounded in Vietnam. During the ceremony, Doyle and her sister Joann White, expressed how deeply it meant to have their brother remembered and honored, saying he was truly deserving of such recognition. 'We are here to honor the memory of Albert W. Billy Sonnier, who gave his life in the defense of his country, and in the very real way, we are here to pay tribute to all the men and women who sacrifice so much that we might be free,' former journalist and author Dave Precht said. Precht noted that the 24-year-old soldier's courageous actions were crucial in repelling the enemy attack. 'Billy Sonnier in my research was a dedicated soldier,' said Col. (Ret.) Joey Strickland, former deputy secretary of Louisiana Veterans Affairs and a Vietnam combat veteran. 'A young man who was not only a fighter, but a beacon of hope for his battle buddies, a source of inspiration, amid the turmoil….Sonnier was known by his fellow soldiers for the ability to uplift and energize those around him.' Sonnier was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and Purple Heart. The ceremony also paid tribute to Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Barrett, who served as a squad leader with the same company as Sonnier. Barrett grew up in Many, La., only 110 miles from Sonnier's hometown. Despite more than a decade difference in their enlistment dates, both men served in the same battalion, platoon, company, and squad, and tragically, they were killed on the same day in Vietnam. They were also the only two men from Louisiana in Lt. Col. Hal Moore's battalion killed during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley at Landing Zone X-Ray in 1965. Thomas Barrett III, Barrett's son who was only 5 when his father died, shared his experience of growing up with the profound silence of never having known his father. He followed his father's footsteps, becoming an infantryman and officer. 'While many children of veterans grow up hearing stories that were hard to tell, I grew with a different kind of silence, the absence of a voice that was silenced in the Ia Drang Valley on 15th November 1865, exactly seven days after his 34th birthday,' Barrett said. 'My father, like many veterans, answered the call to serve,' he continued. 'The photographs, letters and stories shared by those who fought alongside him have been my only window into knowing who he was. Through your eyes and memories, I pieced together the man who would have raised me, his courage, his loyalty to his brothers in arms and his sense of duty.' Barrett stressed the vital role of those who returned home in keeping the memories of the fallen alive by sharing their stories. 'Each time you share a memory of my father or your brothers who didn't come home, you give us the gift of knowing them a little better,' he said. 'To the families, who like mine, bear the Gold Star, who share a bond forged in sacrifice. Though decades have passed, the cost paid in the Ia Drang Valley remains ever present in our lives.' The memory and legacy of the soldiers of Ia Drang Valley live on not just in military records and history books, but through honoring their lives by striving to live in a way that reflects their sacrifice, he said. During the event, Marm presented members of the 1st Cavalry with special leather-bound copies of the 'We Were Soldiers Once….and Young.'
American Press
27-04-2025
- General
- American Press
Ceremony set to honor Elton native killed in Vietnam War
Specialist 4 Albert 'Billy' Sonnier was killed killed in the infamous Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War. (Special to the American Press) Final preparations are underway for next Saturday's event to honor an Elton native killed in the infamous Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War. A ceremony honoring Specialist 4 Albert 'Billy' Sonnier will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Vietnam War Memorial at the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park in Jennings. 'We encourage everyone from the area to attend so we can give Spec. 4 Sonnier the honor and respect he deserves for his service and ultimate sacrifice,' organizer John Semmes said. Semmes, a Vietnam veteran and part of a local Vietnam veterans project team, discovered Sonnier's name on the memorial last year and sought out Sonnier's family. This led to locating Sonnier's grave and fundraising for a memorial marker at St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery in Elton. Sonnier died Nov. 15, 1965 at the age of 24 during the Battle of Ia Drang at Landing Zone (LZ) X-Ray – one of the most famous battles in the storied history of the 1st Cavalry Division and the first major battle of the Vietnam War. The battle was covered by war correspondent Joe Galloway, who co-authored 'We Were Soldiers Once ….and Young' with retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. It was adapted into the 2002 film, 'We Were Soldiers.' Sonnier was a rifleman assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. The company suffered 68 casualties, with 42 killed in action and 26 wounded, from a fighting force of 106 men. Six of the 42 fallen troopers, including Sonnier, posthumously received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for valor. 'This is why the fulfillment of God's purpose sometimes calls for the ultimate sacrifice of our most precious treasure,' then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Harold Johnson wrote in a letter to Sonnier's mother after his death. 'For his gift of life, your son is forever noble among men.' The ceremony is expected to be one of the most historic military events for Southwest Louisiana, according to Semmes. 'It will be a ceremonial event, but will be memorable for those soldiers – all of whom are in their 80s now, and for the young people participating in the ceremony who will get to interface with these soldiers,' Semmes said. 'But we want to make sure this is memorable for everybody and make sure these guys get the recognition they deserve.' Honored guests will include Medal of Honor recipient retired U.S. Army Col. Walter 'Joe' Marm, along with seven other LZ X-Ray veterans, including three Purple Heart recipients. Former Louisiana Veterans Affairs secretary and retired Col. Joey Strickland, who served two tours of combat duty in Vietnam, will be the keynote speaker. Sonnier's sisters, JoAnn White, who was a teenager when he died, and Sandria Doyle, who was 10 at the time, will also be in attendance. Other participants include Sea Cadets from Lake Charles; Daxton Broussard, a student at Iota High School; Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 of Kinder; LZ X-Ray veteran Nathan Harvey; Thomas Barrett; Deputy Director of Louisiana's Veterans Affairs Dr. Jerome Buller; Vietnam veteran Wayne Milner; Kenzlie Duhon and Nolan Knight, students at Jennings High School. Several participants will be in Vietnam-era military uniforms. Author Dave Precht, a 1967 graduate of Jennings High School, will deliver two speeches. Precht has authored three books and was heavily involved in two others in the 'Brothers Beyond the Perimeter' series of books based on local Vietnam veterans. He hopes to complete a final book on local Vietnam service personnel by November. 'We are very fortunate that he (Precht) has volunteered his time and talent to make sure all these veterans and their deeds and service are finally getting acknowledged,' Semmes said. A shadow box of Sonnier's service medals will be presented to his sisters. Leather-bound autographed copies of the 'We Were Soldiers' book and special emblems will also be presented to the LZ X-Ray veterans attending the ceremony, which will include music, flag presentation, a three-gun volley, the sounding of 'Taps,' and a Fallen Warrior display.
