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- Many veterans still live with the painful reminders of their fellow soldiers lost in service to this nation.
This weekend, Mississippi joins the nation in pausing to honor the fallen for Memorial Day, remembering those military service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.
For Vietnam veteran Sam Davis of Flowood, Memorial Day has a bittersweet meaning. It is a day to celebrate him fighting for his country, but also a day to remember the 58,220 soldiers who died in the war.
Proudly wearing a Vietnam Veteran ball cap, he said at times it is painful to remember the young men he knew who were killed while serving this country.
“They were 19, 20, 21 years old,” the 75-year-old retiree said. “They never had families, jobs, or a relationship with the Lord.”
Davis said it took him more than half a century to confront the psychological impact the war had on him. After his sons grew up, left home, and he retired as a senior mechanic, the carnage and loss “hit me hard.”
He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder while in therapy. PTSD is common in soldiers, especially those who witnessed the horrors of combat.
“I tell vets, if you are having issues, talk to somebody, anyone,” Davis said, noting the high rate of veterans who daily take their own lives.
A generation later, Vietnam was replaced by Iraq.
Chris Tomblin, 53, of Jackson remembers being a 20-year-old and wanting his grandmother’s macaroni and cheese and grape Kool-Aid.
“Man, I was just a kid. A year out of high school,” he said, with a laugh. “A year before, I was trolling the streets along Bailey Avenue thinking I was a badass, then I was patrolling the roads of Iraq, scared of anything that moved,” he said.
When he first returned to Jackson, Tomblin was aimless. He felt let down.
“It was PTSD,” the now federal employee said. “I was in a bad place, mentally, physically.”
Tomblin turned to the VA for help. They directed him to groups and individual therapy, he said, which eventually enabled him to enroll in college and obtain a college degree. Tomblin spoke on the programs at the VA and other military organizations in place to help veterans deal with PTSD and other mental health issues.
“You just got to say, yes, let’s do this,” he said.
The veteran crisis hotline is 988 and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Both men believe Memorial Day has been commercialized. Not only is it viewed as the unofficial start of summer, but it is now used to sell everything from cars to clothing. Davis said the day should be observed to remember the fallen.
“It’s their day,” he said.
One way to honor the fallen is to participate in the flag placement ceremonies taking place at National Cemeteries across the Magnolia State on Monday. Volunteers are needed to place flags at every headstone.
“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,” President John F. Kennedy said in 1963.
The events will take place at Mississippi’s three national cemeteries:
- Biloxi National Cemetery at 9 a.m.
- Natchez National Cemetery at 11 a.m.
- Corinth National Cemetery at 2 p.m.
Daniel Tyson
