War dead to be remembered on Monday
The annual Memorial Day Program will be held at DeWitt-DeWeese Park on Monday at 11 a.m.
Ray Crocker of American Legion Post 138 will be serving as the master of ceremonies.
“We need to honor those people who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation,” Crocker said. “We enjoy our freedom today because the 102 people that are listed on the monument went and fought and didn’t make it back.”
Before the program begins, attendees will enjoy 30 minutes of patriotic music performed by Mississippi veteran TSGT E-6 Shelby Johnson Jr.
Johnson served as a vocalist at Keesler Air Force Base from 1975 to 1980, Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany from 1980 to 1986, and Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, CA from 1986 to 1993.
He ended his career as the lead singer for the band supporting Travis Air Force Base, and after this assignment, he was honorably retired from the United States Air Force.
On more than one occasion, Johnson has told many people that it was an honor serving in the United States Air Force Band. He continues to sing and entertain in the Memphis area, using the talent that God gave him.
Johnson has strong ties to Neshoba County. His mother, Nancy, was the daughter of Louis and Willie Horn, who lived in the Hopewell and Bloomo communities east of Philadelphia. He has many relatives who still reside in and around these communities.
The program will start with the sounding of the tornado sirens for one minute, followed by the presentation of colors and the Pledge of Allegiance led by the Neshoba Central Navy JROTC.
Shelby Johnson will then perform the national anthem, and retired SSG Tony Stewart of American Legion Post 238 will deliver the invocation.
Crocker will recognize Neshoba County Gold Star Mothers Deborah Ladd, mother of Joshua Ladd, and Ellon Stovall, mother of Matt Stovall, and acknowledge the guests.
District 5 Supervisor Obbie Riley will then introduce the guest speaker, his daughter, Lieutenant Commander Shereka F. Riley.
Riley, a U.S. Navy human resources officer, is a native of Philadelphia. She graduated from Neshoba Central High School in 2009, where she was a NJROTC cadet.
She attended Auburn University, graduating with a BA in political science, and was commissioned into the Navy in 2013. Riley earned a master of science degree in management from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2017.
Her previous assignments include requirements officer for the Acquisition Manpower, Personnel, and Training Requirements branch in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (N1) in Arlington, Va.; enlisted programs officer for Navy Recruiting District New England in Boston, Ma.; and operations officer for the Military Entrance Processing Station in Shreveport, La.
In October 2022, Riley joined the People and Culture team within the Culture and Force Resilience Office, formerly the 21st Century Sailor Office, where she serves as the deputy section lead.
Riley is a 2020 graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, where she earned her Joint Professional Military Education Phase I certification and a Master of Operational Studies degree.
She holds a Professional in Human Resources certification and has been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards) and the Joint Service Achievement Medal.
The audience will then stand and face the Fallen Veterans Monument as Natasha Foster of American Legion Post 238, Cassandra Gibbs of American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Post 138, Tim Gibbs of American Legion Post 138, and Stanley Backstrom of American Legion Post 238 read aloud the names of the fallen veterans.
Shelby Johnson will sing "God Bless America," followed by the 367th Maintenance Company lowering the flag to half-staff with a 21-Gun Salute.
Josh Rushing, PHS Band Director, will then perform taps, and Johnson will close the program with a performance of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
In case of inclement weather, the program will be relocated to the Ellis Theater.