Newberry honors veterans

NEWBERRY — Newberry County Veterans were recognized at the 2022 Memorial Day Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, in Memorial Park in downtown Newberry.

Sponsored by The City and County of Newberry and The American Legion Post #219 and #24, the ceremony began with the advancement of colors followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem. Vietnam veteran and Newberry resident, Tom Pope, gave a speech to the crowd.

“This event honors the servicemen who have made it possible for us to enjoy the freedoms that we have today in this country. In today’s politically charged environment, it is important to come together and remember those brave men who fought for us regardless of race and religion,” he said.

Pope stressed how important it is to continue to celebrate and remember these servicemen.

“We will have future heroes 60 years from now that are just as important as the men we are remembering today,” he said.

The names of 84 Newberry County veterans who passed in the last year were recognized by David Parnell, director of Newberry County Veterans Affairs. This year, 16 World War II, 15 Korean War, 36 Vietnam War, one Persian Gulf, 17 Peacetime and four National Guard veterans passed away.

As the ceremony came to a close, veterans reflected on this special day of remembrance. Newberry County veteran Timothy Rutherford believes that we are on the right path, but still have work to do when it comes to honoring veterans.

“The Memorial Day Ceremony means a lot because for years I feel that veterans were not being recognized and taken care of as they should have been, and we’ve gotten better with that in recent years,” he said. “We still have a long way to go in this country in regards to veteran support but I feel like we’re on the right track. More benefits and programs that help out veterans would be a great way to begin improving veterans affairs in this country.”