The mournful cries of a bugle echoed through the town square in Clarkesville on Monday as local veterans paid tribute to our nation’s war dead. A small crowd of family and onlookers joined in the brief observance of prayer and remembrance.
It was a fitting setting as they gathered at the gazebo adjacent to Habersham County’s oldest war monument. Unlike the Veterans Wall of Honor seven miles to the south in Cornelia, the newly-refurbished KIA memorial honors only those Habersham residents who died in wartime.
“It’s people like this on this monument – it’s their sacrifice – that enables us to carry on and enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Jim Morgan told those who had gathered. “It’s something that we should remember every single day. We have the luxury of time, unlike those names right there.”
With traffic whirring past, seemingly oblivious to the somber ceremony, Morgan, commander of the local chapter of Disabled American Veterans, called out the names and number of casualties from each American war. As he did, VFW Honor Guard member Ken Franklin rang a bell. The bell tolled 13 times for the 1.6 million Americans who have died on battlefields and in-theater at home and abroad.
Afterward, the Grant-Reeves VFW Post 7720 Honor Guard fired a 21-gun salute and auxiliary member Danny Stephens played the bugle.
Following the ceremony, a young girl in attendance ran up to greet Stephens and thank him. Two other children followed. Stephens was touched.
“I can’t remember that I’ve had three beautiful, beautiful children like that come up and say ‘Thank you for playing today.’ They were just so nice. It meant a lot to me,” he says.
Call to duty
The Clarkesville ceremony marked the end of a long day for the bugler and Honor Guard. It began with a memorial service at the VFW Cemetery in Demorest followed by stops in Clayton and Pendergrass where the Honor Guard conducted a flag-raising ceremony at the Amazon warehouse at the company’s request.
Stephens traveled to White County to play in a ceremony at the Sky Lake community.
Being a bugler for ceremonial military events and veterans’ funerals requires a lot of time and travel, but Stephens says he doesn’t mind: It’s his way to give back to those who gave so much.
“I get the satisfaction of knowing that I’m doing what I can,” he says. “I wasn’t able to serve in any war. I always felt like I left a bunch of my buddies behind: They went, I didn’t, and I felt like I needed to do something.”
When he got the opportunity a few years ago to join national organizations that provide buglers for military ceremonies, Stephens says, “I just did it. I’ve really gotten more from it than anybody else has.”
There are at least three children and a handful of onlookers from Clarkesville who might argue his point.
Just as the bugler’s call gets servicemembers to snap to attention, the bugler’s cry opens hearts and minds to reflect. And that is the purpose of Memorial Day: A time set aside the last Monday in May to reflect on those who paid freedom’s ultimate price.
With each note he plays, Stephens answers his call to duty.
“Some great people have come before us,” he says, adding that he’ll continue to honor their sacrifice as long as he’s able.
