[The following is a transcript of the speech delivered by Pulaski County Public Library Executive Director MacKenzie Ledley on Memorial Day 2024.]
Today, we gather in solemn remembrance of heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom. While Veterans Day is a commemoration of all service members, Memorial Day is a much more solemn event. Each Memorial Day, we come together to honor the memory of those heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom and ensure their sacrifices are never forgotten. Their absence is a constant reminder of the cost of freedom---and something their loved ones carry with them each and every day.
Many in our community continue to carry the scars of loss. Over time, many of these stories have gone unspoken, but the scars and memories remain for their friends and families, leaving behind empty chairs at family dinners and aching hearts that still long for their embrace.
I've lived in Pulaski County most of my life, but until recently, I was unaware of the local lives lost during the Vietnam War. I didn't realize there were local men who died and left behind wives and small children. I attended Eastern Pulaski Schools but never noticed the marker near the Administration Office placed in memory of alumni Stuart Binkley, who was killed during the Vietnam War. As I became more aware, I realized these men were more than just names; they were young people on the precipice of life: college students, recent college graduates, fathers of young families; these were men with dreams.
Marine Lance Corporal John Parcel and Lieutenant Larry Bonnell are two men whose stories have resonated with me. After graduating from Winamac High School, John Parcel attended Ball State, where he studied Political Science. He had aspirations to become a lawyer and work in politics. Upon his return for his second year of college, John decided to leave and join the Marine Corps. He told his family that he had to do something for his country and felt serving in the military could fulfill that need.
They say there are no atheists in a combat zone or foxhole, especially in battle. The inscription John wore on his helmet read, "Just you and me, right God" John Parcel was killed in Vietnam during Operation Pegasus. He had just turned 21 years old.
Second Lieutenant Larry Bonnell entered the Army in August 1965, just after graduating from Purdue University. The Sunday before Larry left for the service, he sang a solo at the Winamac Methodist Church, which included the words, "Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me." The next time Larry would return to that church, it would be for his memorial service. He was killed by a land mine explosion in Vietnam. He was twenty-three years old.
There are countless stories, and like me, you may not have been aware of the stories of local loss. I encourage you to learn the names of a few local service members who died in the line of duty. Pay respect at their grave. Share appreciation with the family they have left behind. Learn their names, and each Memorial Day, say those names quietly in your heart. Today, I remember Stu Binkley, Randall Nightingale, John Parcel, Richard Podell, Jerry Shank, Larry Bonnell, and my direct ancestor Dr. William Augustus John Russell, who died in the Civil War, leaving behind his wife and children.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Our duty does not end with remembrance. It is incumbent upon us to honor their legacy through our actions—to uphold the values for which they fought and died. We must strive for a world where peace reigns supreme, where conflicts are resolved through dialogue rather than violence, and where the freedoms they died defending are enjoyed by all.
May we never forget. May we always remember. May we become more aware of the local stories and keep their memories alive. And may we strive to be worthy of the sacrifices of those who gave their all in service to our great nation.
Thank you, and God Bless America.
Click the images below to see a photo of the library's Vietnam Veterans Memorial display and a map & self-guided cemetery tour of their gravesites.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial display can be viewed in person in the Delores "Dee" Galbreath Local History Room at the Library.
Paper copies of the Self-Guided Cemetery Gravesite Pilgrimage are available at the Library.
Did you know one of the men mentioned in the speech? We are collecting local memories to give breadth to their memory. These recollections will be included in a permanent resource in the Library’s local history room. Share your memory on the form here: https://forms.gle/EJM7xSDGbo8TgnaX8. Paper forms are also available at the Library.
