Memorial Day service set May 29
By Donnie A. Lucas
A total of 16 names of Albany military veterans were added to the Veterans Memorial Monument on the courthouse square this week, just in time to be honored for Memorial Day.
The annual Memorial Day ceremony will be held Monday, May 29 at the Aztec Theater at 6:00 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Albany Lions Club.
The program will include music by Megan Ledbetter and Sandy Abel, with local veteran Matthew Sanchez as the speaker. Veteran Daniel Key will play Taps at the conclusion of the event.
Refreshments will be provided by the Lions Club in the community room immediately following.
Sponsors Found
for KIA Names
Last week a list of 13 names of men who were killed in action but whose names didn’t appear on the monument was published seeking sponsors.
This week, according to Mary Kay O’Connor who has been in charge of adding the names of veterans, the names of the KIA vets needing financial sponsors has been met.
“Actually there were only 11 names missing,” she said. “Two of the names on the list were already on the memorial but listed by their better known middle names.”
In addition to the 11 KIA names that had been missed in the past, five additional veterans who passed away more recently were added by family or friends for a total of 16 new names.
O’Conner said that the stonemason was able to add the 16 additions on Wednesday in time for Memorial Day.
“I just want to thank everyone who called to help sponsor the names of the KIA men,” she said. “It was such a quick response.”
She added that nine of the names were covered by new donations, with two paid for by funds she had remaining in the “scholarship” fund to assist families who may not have the $95 cost of adding a name.
The large addition of names this year has now resulted in another problem.
“After adding the 16 names this week, there is room for only 24 more until we will need to purchase another headstone to engrave,” she said. “That has been estimated to run $4,000, so we will need more donations pretty soon.”
O’Connor attempts to have the names of recently deceased veterans added in the spring each year prior to Memorial Day.
Anyone wishing to donate or who has a name to be added for the next engraving can call her at 325-660-2498.
