On Monday, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1913 held Memorial Day services at Riverside Cemetery and Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West to commemorate and honor the sacrifices of military personnel.
Christian County Circuit Judge John Atkins was the keynote speaker at the service held at Riverside Cemetery, where he discussed the significance of the day and mentioned people in his life who had served in the military.
Atkins claims his father, Frank Atkins, was a Navy veteran who served during World War II. Atkins claims his father rarely discussed his service and believes he did so out of respect for the service members who died during the war.
Atkins says his uncles also served in WWII and were proud to serve for their country, but they rarely discussed their time in the military. During the Vietnam War, Atkins says he ran into some of his former high school classmates who were on their way to Nashville for military induction exams.
One of his peers used X-ray films that were not his and showed back injuries to avoid deployment and was successful. Atkins claims his other peer was deployed to Vietnam and died in service.
Atkins then goes on to say that knowing one’s duty and carrying it out is the ultimate challenge that everyone faces. That sense of duty extends beyond warfare to people who serve their communities and prioritize others over themselves.
Atkins concluded the service by reading John McCrae’s poem, “In Flanders Field”. The poem honors those who died in war while fighting for their country.
Later that morning, the VFW held a service at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West, with Fort Campbell General Travis McIntosh as the guest speaker.
