The annual Memorial Day Service was held at the Veterans’ Memorial at Fairlawn Cemetery, Monday, May 27th, at 10:30 a.m. Organizer Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning welcomed the veterans and guests to the ceremony. He turned the program over to Shawn Wilson, who provided the sound system, and sang several patriotic songs.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony was Retired Associate and District Judge Colonel Doug Haught. He spoke about the importance of D-Day’s landing on Normandy Beach. The 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion will be in ten days.
“There is no better way to talk about our nation and our veterans, than to talk about the invasion of Normandy. Normandy Beach is 50 miles across. It includes the beaches that were designated for the invasion of Europe as Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches,” Haught started.
“The location of the invasion was a closely guarded secret, and it is a tribute to the unity of the American military and the American people that this secret was so well kept. It was so well kept, that it was more than two months before the Germans finally realized that this was the invasion that they were expecting. That secrecy kept many German forces tied up far away from the norm in the battle.”
He continued to talk about the number of tanks, trucks and artillery that the United States produced from 1930 to 1944, compared to the Germans.
“The United States produced the most technologically advanced war machines that the world had ever seen. Our nation on D-Day alone, on June 6, 1944, landed 132,000 soldiers and 20,000 vehicles. Our country did that,” Haught said.
Haught then talked about the people who fought in Normandy or the Normandy campaign, including his uncle. L.E. Stall, who landed there on June 21st, and almost all of those who landed later did so the same way they had on June 6th. He said that the Germans scattered six and one half million mines in water along the beaches.
“By June 22, the Allies had established 11 operational airfields in Normandy. The Allies, mainly the United States, continued to land 14,500 soldiers per day until the end of July. By the end of June, the Allies had landed 875,000 soldiers, and 452,000 were Americans, but 397,000 were British and Canadians. There were 37,000 Americans who died in the war,” he said.
As Haught’s talk came to a close, he spoke about how important it was to grow up around men who served in WWII. He said he is amazed by those veterans and has respect and esteem for them. This brought him to mention the boys and girls who will be attending Boy’s and Girl’s State, along with the businesses that are helping sponsor them.
Those businesses include Great Plains Bank, First National Bank of Elk City, Interbank of Elk City, Northfork Electric, and Legacy Bank of Elk City.
After Haught finished speaking, Manning said that the Oklahoma Highway Patrol would be lowering the flag, the Beckham County Sheriff’s Honor Guard would be honoring the flag with a gun salute, and Hayden Laufer would be playing “Taps.” After a recording of bagpipes playing, “Amazing Grace,” and a final prayer by the Elk City Fire Department Chaplin, Jace Hargrove, the crowd dispersed.
Each year the memorial service brings out veterans and those members of the community to honor them. It Is a time to give thanks for the patriotic scarifies of those who have given their lives and service to the country and community.
