Parade and Program Honor Veterans, Active Military

MOSS POINT -- Samuel W. Sylvester Jr., 87, is loving all the attention he's gotten lately from the community honoring WWII veterans for their service and all branches of the military during a number of programs and commemorations in October and November.

He was among the veterans who made the fourth Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight during fall 2012. He also was honored as the oldest African American Marine present during this year's 35th Annual Salute to the Military held in Biloxi.

"I was the only black man they recognized there," said Sylvester, who will turn 88 in January.

Following the Jackson County Veterans Day Parade and Program today in Downtown Moss Point, the Marine recounted the horrors of war while stationed in Japan during WWII. He was aboard a LSD ship when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and then Nagasaki, killing thousands of Japanese and effectively ending the war that was dragging on against the nation of the Rising Sun.

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Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki, with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day, according to Wikipedia

The U.S. lost some 100,000 military personnel during the Pacific War of WWII.

Having served from 1944-46, Sylvester served in other areas of the Pacific before being transferred to Japan, where he was among soldiers who went in to remove the bodies of Japanese civilians killed when the atomic bombs called Little Boy and Fat Man were dropped on the cities.

"I saw a mushroom cloud," he said.

When the Marines went in to clean up the devastation and remove the bodies they used trucks to clear the way. "All the dead people, they pushed them to the side," said Sylvester "Worst smell in the world."

However, today, he and David Blacklege said they enjoyed the Veterans Day program at the Jackson County Veterans Memorial Monument located at the city's Riverfront Park. The hourlong program followed the annual parade on Main Street, which was lined with residents eagerly gathering candy.

"It was great. It was a good program," said Blackledge, who recently retired after 37 years in the Army, including three tours in Iraq and service in Bosnia, Haiti, and other areas around the globe.

(Watch for addition of photos and more information to this story)

Monday's Jackson County Veteran's Day Parade and Program

MOSS POINT -- The 13^th Annual Jackson County Veterans Day Parade and Program will take place Nov. 11 in Downtown Moss Point. The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. and leaves from the Southgate Shopping Center. The program starts at 11 a.m. at the Moss Point Veterans Memorial Monument.

The keynote speaker is Jackson County Supervisor Melton Harris, who was born in Grenada County, Miss. He is a graduate of Tougaloo College with a bachelor of science degree in math and physics. He served in the United States Army as a military policeman during the Vietnam Era and received an honorable discharge. He retired from Chevron Pascagoula Refinery in 1999.

Harris is currently serving as president of the Pascagoula Rotary Club. He is past president of the Jackson County Board of Supervisors and pastpPresident of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors – Minority Caucus. He is chairman of the Fourth Congressional District Democratic Executive Committee.

His awards include Pascagoula Jaycee’s Outstanding Young Man, Jaycee of the Year, Outstanding Community Service by Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Beta Sigma Community Service Award, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. MLK Dreamer Award, NAACP Community Service and Achievement Award, A . Phillip Randolph Community Service Award, Young Democrats of America Service Award, Rust College Community Service Award, Sickle Cell Service Award, Pascagoula B&P Women’s Community Service Award, Sigma Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Citizen of the Year Award.

Harris is married and has three adult children. The Harris family is a member of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Moss Point.

The Veterans Steering Committee, planning the event, is encouraging residents of Jackson County to line the parade route, wave American flags and show their support for the veterans of all wars and the active duty personnel serving along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A special emphasis for the POWs and MIAs will be conducted during the program, as well as a Twenty-One Gun Salute by the veterans’ organizations.

There will be a recognition ceremony for fallen soldiers – Sergeant First Class Sean Michael Cooley of Ocean Springs, Sergeant Terrance D. Lee, Sr. of Moss Point, Master Sergeant Coater B. DeBose of Moss Point, Major Michael Green of Gautier, and Master Sergeant Scott E. Pruitt.

Cooley and Lee were killed in Iraq and Green, DeBose and Pruitt in Afghanistan. Members of their families will be invited and recognized at the program.

Members of the Magnolia Cruisers will participate with honor vehicles. The grand marshal is Brigadier General David Blackledge of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Parade marshals are Moss Point Mayor Billy Broomfield, Captain Robert A. Hall, Jr., PCO AMERICA (LHA 6), veterans and officials Cecil Stork, Herman Barnum, Dobbs Dennis, Pascagoula Councilman Freddy Jackson, and Mississippi House of Representative Manly Barton.

For more information about the Jackson County Veterans Parade and Program, call the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 228-762-3391. Late entries will be accepted at the parade lineup.

Final Honor Flight Returns Tonight at Gulfport/Biloxi International Airport

GULFPORT -- Our final honor flight will be returning at 7:40 tonight at the Gulfport airport, said Jennifer Walton, secretary for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight.

Don't miss this final homecoming for our veterans!

The public is asked to arrive between 7 and 7:30 p.m. Parking will be free.

Bring your welcome home signs and flags!!