GEORGETOWN, Del. — Veterans, community members and local leaders gathered on The Circle in Georgetown Sunday afternoon for the annual Sussex County Memorial Day ceremony honoring service members who died in defense of the United States.
The event, sponsored by the Georgetown Kiwanis Club, Korean War Veterans Association and Georgetown-Millsboro Rotary Club, featured patriotic music, wreath presentations and remarks from Korean War veteran Sgt. Maj. Walter R. Koopman, U.S. Army (Ret.), who delivered the keynote address titled “Field of Poppies.”
Community members gathered in Georgetown Sunday to honor fallen service members during Sussex County’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on The Circle.
State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn served as master of ceremonies, while the Rev. Maleia Rust of Grace United Methodist Church offered the invocation and benediction. Cathy Gorman performed the national anthem and “America the Beautiful,” with attendees invited to sing along.
Memorial wreaths were placed by veterans’ groups and service organizations in tribute to those lost in World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and more recent conflicts. Members of Troop 95 of the Boy Scouts of America assisted during the ceremony.
Community members gathered in Georgetown Sunday to honor fallen service members during Sussex County’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on The Circle.
The program also included a rifle salute by members of the 198th Signal Battalion of the Delaware National Guard and a performance of “Taps” by Sussex Central Band Director Ben Ables and his son, Zachary.
Among those attending was Caroline Green, who said Memorial Day remains deeply personal for her family. Green said her brother, whose name appears on the Georgetown memorial monument, died during World War II.
Community members gathered in Georgetown Sunday to honor fallen service members during Sussex County’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on The Circle.
“We have no gravesite, no place to go,” Green said. “I’ve always appreciated the fact that his name went on the monument.”
Green also reflected on the importance of remembering those who died in military service.
“What they gave — their lives, their futures and everything — has provided us with wonderful lives,” she said. “We need to be more thankful.”
