More than 150 people salute as 'Taps' is played during a Memorial Day ceremony in Clinton on Monday. At center is Amy Morris, mother of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Morris, who died in Iraq in 2006.
CLINTON—More than 150 people turned out for a Memorial Day ceremony in Clinton on Monday, an encouraging sign for Amy Morris of Clinton. Her son, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Morris, died in Iraq in 2006.
“It’s awesome to see the turnout,” said Morris, who lives in Clinton and wore her son’s sunglasses and a 1st Cavalry Division T-shirt he gave her. “My greatest fear is that people will forget.”
The ceremony outside the Anderson County Courthouse on a hot, sunny day included a wreath laying, the playing of “Taps,” and short speeches by Leon Jaquet, Anderson County Veterans Service Officer, and Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican.
Anderson County Veterans Service Officer Leon Jaquet says Memorial Day is for honoring military personnel who have died in the nation's wars.
The ceremony honored the 1.3 million Americans who made the supreme sacrifice in combat zones from the Revolutionary and Civil wars to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the War on Terrorism, Jaquet said.
“We especially remember our 180 Anderson County heroes whose lives were lost in those same conflicts,” he said.
McNally said the nation would never forget them or their sacrifices.
“They answered their call to duty, and they died protecting us,” he said.
Morris said the death of her son, a 28-year-old divorced father, gave her a greater appreciation for certain things such as the U.S. flag.
“I never realized the great sacrifice until I lost my son,” she said.
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