Every May, Armed Forces Day pops up on the calendar to set the table for an even bigger commemoration, Memorial Day.
Wayne Wiley, the first president of the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce (1991) and still a member of the chamber board of directors, organized the Armed Forces Day ceremony on Saturday at the Jefferson County Administration Building in Hillsboro, held in conjunction with Hillsboro Homecoming activities.
If anyone can appreciate the importance of Armed Forces Day, Wiley can, having organized this annual ceremony, by his estimate, for “six, seven, eight years.” But for him and many others, nothing compares to the significance of Memorial Day.
“When I look at the sacrifice of those men, from day one to today, to make us a free country and keep us a free country, it brings tears to your eyes and a big lump in your throat – to think about what people have been willing to do for others,” Wiley said.
Saturday’s event, he said, attracted between 300 and 350 people and featured the band and choir from Hillsboro High School and a color guard and 21-gun salute by members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. County Executive Ken Waller served as emcee, a role he has performed for several years.
“It was really good, and I was pleased with the way he handled things,” Wiley said of Waller’s role leading the event.
The featured speaker, Brigadier Gen. William B. Blaylock II of the Missouri National Guard and a Eureka native, spoke of the differences and common elements in the code of honor among the branches of the American military.
“He spoke to the kids (in the audience),” Wiley said. “He was trying to build patriotism.”
Wiley added that he believes Jefferson County residents have a high regard for the armed forces.
“I see in our county a high patriotism, not only for our soldiers but also for our first-response teams.”
Memorial Day observances are planned in Jefferson County:
■ Unite for Uniforms 5K run and one-mile walk, 8 a.m. Saturday, May 27, Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, 6300 Hwy. 30, Cedar Hill. Memorial service starts 10 a.m. Registration: $35. Benefits: Amvets Veterans in Need. To sign up: fleetfeetstlouis.com. Call Kayla, 636-274-4100.
■ Memorial Day Service, 10 a.m., Peaceful Ridge Cemetery, 900 N. Main St., De Soto.
■ Festus VFW Post 3777, 900 VFW Drive, Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, May 29. Guest speaker: Kyle Castens. For more information, call 636-937-5400.