American Legion Post 31 holds annual Memorial Day program

Memorial Day can trace its roots back to a few years after the American Civil War. Many areas had what they called Decoration Day to honor veterans from the conflict.

As time progressed, the observance morphed into what we now call Memorial Day, which became an official national occurrence in 1971. It is observed on the last Monday of May each year.

The annual observance is meant to honor all those lost during military service to the United States.

On May 26, members of American Legion Post 31 in Tuscumbia held the annual Memorial Day ceremony on the Colbert County Courthouse lawn.

Keynote speaker for this year’s event was Ronald David Reagan, LTC Retired, U.S. Army.

Reagan has a background with more than 41 years of military service, retiring from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2001.

During his military career he served two tours in Germany, one combat tour in the Middle East, one tour at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, one tour at Fort McClellan in Alabama, one tour at Presidio of San Francisco, and one tour as Associate Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

“I am extremely fortunate to have very few relatives deceased from military service,” Reagan said. “I am sad for the gold star families, who lost loved ones in war. I grieve for every service member and family member affected by the loss of a loved one. My brothers and sisters who lost their lives are remembered. They serve as beacons of inspiration for all of us.”

State Rep. Kerry Underwood, a former mayor of Tuscumbia, spoke about the importance of the new veteran’s affairs clinic that opened Jan. 16 at 410 Cox Boulevard in Sheffield.

The new 16,000-plus square foot clinic features 18 dedicated patient rooms for primary care, women’s health, and mental health, three specialized telehealth rooms and expanded face-to-face care and more specialized care like audiology and optometry.

The new clinic is more than double the size of its predecessor, which opened in 1999 and is meant to offer services to a wider array of patients.

“The folks here did the work to get that office open,” Underwood said. “The veterans of Colbert County are very deserving of having that office open here.”

Following the program, the public and all veterans were invited to a barbecue luncheon compliments of L.O. Bishop at the Church of Christ Annex.