Memorial Day honors country’s war dead

Photo: The Heritage Veterans Memorial Plaza at 3810 M.L. King Drive in Orange, will host Sunday’s 15^th Annual Tribute to Orange County Veterans.

Dave Rogers

For The Record

Fly your flags on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28.

The Bridge City-Orangefield Rotary Club will.

Look for a line of Star Spangled Banners to pop up this weekend along West Roundbunch Road in Bridge City and along Highway 105 in Orangefield.

“We used to put them out at businesses on Texas Avenue, but we had to stop doing that,” said Rotarian Jack Comer.

“It got so busy it was dangerous.”

Comer serves on the club’s flag committee along with Kirk Roccaforte, Jerry Jones and Steve Quibodeaux. Jason Engle helps in Orangefield.

Memorial Day is just the first of six annual holidays the Rotary Clubbers fly the flags with Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Patriot Day and Veterans Day following on the calendar.

Memorial Day is also called Decoration Day and it has been a national holiday since 1868.

It is observed on the last Monday in May each year and is for remembering those military servicemen and women who died while serving.

In Orange, the biggest remembrance will begin at 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening at the Heritage Veterans Memorial Plaza, 3810 MLK Drive, in front of the First Church of the Nazarene.

The “Fifteenth Annual Tribute to Orange County Veterans” salutes all veterans and those currently serving in the military.

It is free and will feature the Southeast Texas Color Guard, the Community Band of Southeast Texas and other patriotic music.

Complementary hot dogs and apple pie will be served after the program that features keynote speaker Scott Stearman, the creator of “Tears From A Grateful Heart,” the life-size sculpture at the center of the plaza.

For more information, contact Mike Bell at 409-460-3567 or [email protected].

In the Rotary Club’s Flag Program, each of the approximately 100 flags are leased to a community member or business for $100 per year.

Monies collected go into scholarships to Bridge City and Orangefield graduates, recognizing honor students from the two schools, and leadership training for the students.

“Money we raise goes back into the community,” Comer said.