The American Legion Post #35 and The Pink Dogwood Garden Club hosted a heartfelt Veterans Day Observance on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Summerton Baptist Church, honoring local service members with prayer, song, and reflection.
Originally scheduled at the Veterans Memorial Park, the service was moved indoors because of cold weather. The fellowship hall was filled with veterans, families, and community members who gathered to pay tribute to those who served.
American Legion Commander Bob Jones welcomed the crowd and thanked both organizations for their partnership. “Even though we weren’t able to use it, the Pink Dogwood Garden Club did an amazing job getting the park set up and ready to go for this event,” he said. “I didn’t want to have to stand in 25-degree weather and do this, so we moved it indoors, and I want to thank Summerton Baptist Church for allowing us to use their facilities.”
The Clarendon Hall Choir, directed by Candy Ashba, opened with the national anthem and closed with Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” Jones, who served in the 82nd Airborne Division, told the audience that the song always moves him deeply. “I was a young paratrooper at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, when I heard that song the first time,” he said. “Even today I still get teary-eyed, but that day, the first time I heard it, I was bawling like a baby. It means a lot to all of us who have served.”
Pastor Rick Atkinson of Jerusalem and Elloree United Methodist Churches delivered the invocation and homily, offering a prayer of gratitude for veterans and their families. In his message, Atkinson shared a story from a Vietnam veteran who survived an attack because an emergency appendectomy took him away from his unit. “He asked me, ‘Why me?’ And all I could say was, ‘God had a plan for you,’ ” Atkinson said. “Maybe that plan was for you to tell that story or to use your gifts to praise God. But because you’re here today, God had a plan for you being here and surviving what you served.”
Atkinson read from John 10:25-28, reminding the audience that veterans, like faithful servants, follow the call of duty with courage. “Our veterans are soldiers for Christ as well,” he said. “They pledge their lives, if necessary, to God and country.”
State Representative Fawn Pedalino served as guest speaker, honoring veterans from every branch of service and emphasizing South Carolina’s long tradition of military service.
“Veterans Day is a time when our nation pauses to honor all who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces — those who served in war and in peace, those who came home to build communities and those still standing watch around the world today,” Pedalino said. “While Memorial Day is a time to remember the fallen, Veterans Day is a day to celebrate the living — to thank the men and women who have put on the uniform knowing they might be called to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
She continued: “From the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan, South Carolinians have answered the call of duty generation after generation. More than 17,000 South Carolinians have given their lives in service to our nation, while countless others came home and carried out that same spirit of dedication in their roles as parents, teachers, pastors, business owners, and community leaders.”
Pedalino also noted that since World War II, more than 105 men and women from Clarendon County have laid down their lives for freedom. “Freedom is preserved by the courage and commitment of those who serve,” she said. “Because of you, we remain — and will always be — free.”
Pink Dogwood Garden Club Vice President Marshia Younglund thanked attendees and remembered the late Doris Benke, the club’s former president who helped establish the Veterans Memorial Park. “She was a great friend, mentor, and wonderful lady to all of us,” Younglund said. “I wish she were standing here today.”
The program closed with a moment of silence for fallen service members and the 81,000 still missing in action, followed by the Lord’s Prayer and a benediction from Pastor Atkinson.
