Search Everything in the Lowcountry and the Coastal Empire.
Union veterans groups hold memorial service for troops lost at sea
Email it
Print it
Feeds
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
BEAUFORT -- As rambunctious children rattled the playground at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park on Sunday afternoon, a special requiem quietly proceeded nearby.
The memorial to fallen soldiers came near the end of the Gullah Festival, which concluded Sunday.
A small group of women from Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, outfitted in khaki uniforms and military-style wedge caps, sang the hymn "Nearer, My God, To Thee" as two members held American flags and others stood in their Sunday best.
"I want to be a part of remembering those who gave," said Bettye Millender, 61, of Burton, who was holding a flag. "I just want to remember."
The small group also included Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Shortly after 3 p.m., the group tossed flowers into the Beaufort River and prayed. The ceremony followed a service at First African Baptist Church on New Street.
"We ask, Lord, that you give them rest," said the Rev. Joseph P. Bryant, associate minister of Ebenezer Baptist Church on St. Helena Island. "We ask, God, that you promote them to a better life."
Bryant is a Navy veteran who served in the 1970s.
"We should never ever forget the sacrifices that were made on behalf of this country," he said.
The Rev. Dr. Elijah Washington, chairman of the Memorial Day committee with the Sons and Daughters of Union Veterans, said he's been participating in this annual service since he was a child and that this is the 112th year local residents have tossed flowers into the river in remembrance of military personnel who have died at sea.
"These people gave," he said. "Some of them gave everything they had for peace for this nation and abroad, and I think they need to be remembered."
Several local events planned today to honor veterans
A variety of events are planned in southern Beaufort County for Memorial Day today. Here are some of them:
• The 14th annual Navy League Hilton Head Council's Memorial Day ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. at Shelter Cove Community Park.
• The Sun City Veterans Association will hold a Memorial Day event at 10 a.m. in the town square at Sun City Hilton Head.
• The Hilton Head Choral Society will present "America Sings!" at 7 p.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 24 Pope Ave. The Memorial Day program includes well-known anthems, patriotic songs and a tribute to the Armed Forces. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online. For more information, call 843-341-3818 or visit hiltonheadchoralsociety.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Island car break-in suspect returned to Beaufort County
- Island area home, condo sales rise 17 percent in July
- Officials plan meeting with US Airways on island airport issues
- Ohio company owner gets 25 years in fraud case
- 'Father' in quints scam in court today
- Bluffton may grow state's first large green community
- Knock-off clothes seized on island
- Celebrities flock to Hilton Head for annual golf event
- Crime Reports
- Sun City previews new Yemassee Crafts Center
Capturing Life in the Lowcountry Since 1970
Terms of Use
