Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 16D
> FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, March 28,1999
City of Cumming continues tradition of
honoring veterans on Memorial Day
By Alton Bridget
Staff Writer
The City of Cumming and veter
ans organizations are making
plans for the Memorial Day
Ceremony on Friday, May 28, at
11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial
Park.
The ceremony will feature
speakers and a veterans parade led
by the North Forsyth ROTC and
the North Forsyth High School
Band.
The Cumming Elementary
Chorus will also be performing.
Also featured will be a fly-by
and a parade of bagpipes.
Tii
VFW from 15D
James Romanis, Walter
Waddington and Simon Heiman,
who arrived late and was a veter
an of the 4th Ohio Volunteer
Infantry and served in Puerto
Rico.
Brookins had received the
Medal of Honor for dragging
wounded soldiers to safety at El
Caney in July of 1898.
Putnam wrote the first constitu
tion of the organization, which
invited any American soldier,
sailor or marine who had honor
ably served outside the continen
tal limits of the United States.
Soon after the camp in Ohio was
incorporated, other camps
appeared in Hamilton, Marysville,
Delaware and Marion, Ohio.
Portsmouth, N.H. and Sparta, 111.,
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The Baha’i Faith
"So powerfid is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth ” -- Baha ’u 'Udh
• The Bahd'f Faith is recognized as the newest of the world
religions and is worthy of study and reflection. The BahA’f
Faith began in the middle of the 19th century with
Bahd’u’llAh's announcement that he was the One promised
by all of the religions. There are now over 5 million Bahd’fs
in over 233 countries, including more than 1,400 groups in
the United States.
Among the most fundamental of Bahd’u’lldh's teachings
are these:
• There is only one God.
• All religions share a common foundation.
■Sfj. . * Mankind is one; people of all backgrounds are equal in
the sight of God.
And...
• Individual investigation of the truth.
• Science and religion are in harmony.
• Men and women are equal.
• Each child is entitled to a basic education.
• There is a.spiritual solution to economic problems.
• The world needs a universal auxiliary language.
BHw •We must establish a universal peace protected by a
world commonwealth.
soon had camps.
The first such organization in the
West was the Colorado Society of
the Army of the Philippines,
which held its first meeting on
Dec. 1, 1899. In 1901 and 1902
veterans of the Philippine and
Boxer Rebellion in China estab
lished three groups in
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh and Altoona - to sup
port the veterans who had served
outside the United States.
By 1910, AVFS membership had
grown to 1,203 members in 34
camps.
On Aug. 1, 1914, the name was
changed to Veterans of Foreign
Wars. The organization is
designed to bring veterans togeth
er and, “To promote in all ways
ARTS & COMMUNITY
Photos/Tom Brooks
Flag were raised during the
1998 Memorial Day cere
monies. Clockwise from top,
Anita Hawk, daughter of
Furman S. Hamby; Jon Heard
plays Taps; Rebecca Whitmire
Martin, daughter of Hoyt E.
Whitmire; and Kathy Cook
Love, daughter of Fred C.
Cook, presents the Colors in
her father’s memory while
family friend John
Cunningham salutes.
fraternal and the general welfare
of the men who have borne the
burnt of battle, to foster true patri
otism as defenders of American
principles, cooperating in celebra
tions of patriotic anniversaries and
maintaining a status for the veter
an, placing him in the front rank
of American citizenship.”
The symbol adopted by the
VFW was used by the Crusaders
in the Holy land nearly a millen
nium ago.
The VFW camp in Cumming
helps distribute flags to schools
and participates in parades, cele
brations and patriotic functions in
the community. Any veteran who
has participated in military cam
paigns outside the continental
U.S. is eligible.
World War II memorial fundraising
under way across the United States
Many citizens of the United
States are not aware there is no
national memorial that pays prop
er homage and tribute to those
men and women of the 1940 s
whose dedication, sacrifices and
contributions saved the world by
winning World War 11, the largest
war of all time and the most defin
ing period of the 20th century.
The nearly 3 million members of
The American Legion have
mounted a nationwide grass-roots
campaign to finance a memorial
they consider to be long overdue.
Members in every local Legion
post in thousands of communities
throughout the country are helping
to raise the funds to make this
memorial a reality.
“If anyone would like to con
tribute to the World War II
Memorial, they can contact any
member of the American Legion,”
said Phil Germinario, Commander
of the Cumming American Legion
Post. “We have a form the contrib
utor can complete. The con tri bu-
LEGION from 15D
cers and men of the 4th Division. Roosevelt repeat
edly led the troops on Utah Beach under heavy fire
armed only with a cane. For his heroism, Roosevelt
earned the Medal of Honor. On July 12, 1944, he
suffered a fatal heart attack in the field.
The organization included privates, sergeants and
generals. The uniforms are put aside for civilian
clothes and lives. “For God and country we associate
ourselves together” for purposes which Legionnaires
have held dear for the past four generations.
The American Legion was established to pursue
fairness in the nation’s dealings with its veterans. It
also helps the veteran make the transition from mili
tary to civilian life and to protect and preserve
aspects of Americanism and in aiding the return
home. The creation of the G.I. Bill of Rights was
one of the benchmarks of veterans benefits support
ed by the American Legion. Also, the Legion mem-
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tions can honor those friends and
loved ones who served in the war.
The local Legion club has con
tributed SIOO and some of the
local members have contributed.
We would like to have a lot of the
local citizens participate in this
worthwhile project.”
66
The contributions
can honor those
friends and loved
ones who served in
the war.
The American Legion campaign
started on Veterans Day 1998 and
runs through Veterans Day 1999,
and is not limited to donations
from just members of the organi
zation.
Public Law 103-32 signed on
May 25, 1993, authorizes the
American Battle Monuments
Commission (ABMC) to estab-
bers provided the leadership for numerous communi
ty programs for many American towns. It was an
organization of “programs, not politics.” Many of the
first small town airstrips were built by local
American Legion Posts to encourage air mail ser
vice.
The American Legion not only serves the commu
nity, but it also serves the veterans and their families
The local American Legion Post is a relative new
comer to the community, but it is an active member
and sponsors patriotic activities in the community
and schools. One of the great youth programs that
the local Post sponsors is the sending of high school
seniors to Boys and Girls State each year.
As the National American Legion enters its 80th
year, the local post is searching for new members.
Anyone who would like to join Cumming Post #307
may call (770) 886-9453 for information.
lish the World War II Memorial
in the nation’s Capital. It will be
located in a place of honor in the
National Mall, east of the
Reflecting Pool between the
Lincoln Memorial and the
Washington Monument.
Co-chairs of the national fund
raising campaign are former U.S.
Sen. Bob Dole and Federal
Express CEO Frederick W.
Smith, both of whom are veterans
dedicated to the project. They are
asking for everyone’s help:
Schools, businesses and private
citizens can made individual or
collective donations by sending a
contribution.
The American Legion is one of
the torchbearers, helping the
ABMC collect donations which
can be made to any local Legion
post or by mail to: The American
Legion, P.O. Box 781138,
Indianapolis, In. 46278-8138. For
more information, visit the WW
II Memorial web site
(www.wwllmemorial.com).