The Bethel-Emmanuel United Methodist Men on Monday, May 26, held their 36th annual Memorial Day service at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lively. Retired USMC Col. Jack Larson laid a wreath and shared remarks.
Memorial Day recognizes the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and have now passed, said Larson. Each member of the armed forces makes a commitment to defend the nation at whatever cost and sacrifice.
He remembered Private Jimmy Wayne Phipps with whom he completed his Marine Corps training. Phipps died at just 18 years old during Memorial Day week in 1969 in Vietnam. He was posthumously recognized with the Congressional Medal of Honor a year later for using his body to cover an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that was set to explode. His body absorbed the explosion and ultimately saved the lives of two other nearby Marines.
The names of service members buried in the church cemetery were read.
