Members of the community gathered around the statue of “The Spirit of the American Doughboy,” located on the Owen County Courthouse lawn at 11 a.m. for Memorial Day.

Many different organizations were involved with the Memorial Day service, such as the Owen County Honor Guard, the Spencer American Legion Post 285 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1405.

John Bailey, commander of Post 285, announced the event, going through the history of the day as well as recognizing and thanking veterans and Gold Star families in attendance.

The ceremony opened with the lowering of the flag by George Crites, first vice commander of Post 285, and Mitchell Muse, Post 285 second vice commander. The opening prayer was led by Mike Harvey, Post 285 adjutant. 

In his prayer he asked for remembrance to all the veterans who lost their lives in and out of combat. 

“They did a great service and they would give their lives for this country, which is so important to us,” Harvey said.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Cassey Murphy, president of the Auxiliary Unit of Post 285. Bill White, VFW Auxiliary Post 1405 president, sang the National Anthem. 

Guest Speaker Lt. Col. Russell Callaway, retired United States Air Force and senior aerospace instructor for the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) at Owen Valley High School, spoke on his experience in the military and of loss.

“Unfortunately, most of us who spend time on active duty have lost a coworker, a friend, or even, if they served in active duty, lost a loved one,” Callaway said. “It's difficult, right? But we pay respects to those that we've lost, but it's the families too, that bear that burden for the rest of their lives.” 

In his speech, Callaway talked about one of his first experiences with the death of another service member. In Germany, around 2003, F-16 fighter pilot Luke Johnson got disoriented in fog and crashed his plane. Callaway, at the time, was a first Lieutenant, meaning he was in charge of getting the personal effects and giving them to Johnson’s spouse.

“[Presenting the effects] was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life, and to this day, I don't think she's remarried,” he said.  “He was the one, that was it.”

After his speech, Callaway announced the Owen County Honor Guard’s 21-gun salute, which mimics the highest honor given in the military and is done at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C.  

Another tradition of Memorial Day was the placing of the wreaths, done by Murphy, Muse, VFW Post 1405 Auxiliary President Laura Goldman and Joe Goldman, the former Owen County veterans service officer. Followed by the playing of “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes by Marine Corps veteran Bobby Easley, the nephew of Bailey. 

The service closed with Warren Havenor’s of the VFW Post 1405 closing prayer. After the conclusion of the ceremony, Bailey encouraged the gathering to go to the Veterans Memorial Bridge to honor the lives lost in the U.S. Navy as well as the noon ceremony at the Soldiers Memorial Pavilion in Riverside Cemetery.