Shiloh National Military Park Memorial Day Service Suffers from Budget Cuts
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SHILOH, Tenn — For many West Tennesseans, attending a Memorial Day Service is tradition. “It brings back a lot of memories. I think about all the people that died for that flag,” Jim Alexander, an ex-marine, said. The Shiloh National Military Park is the final resting place of more than 4,000 Civil War soldiers. Park Superintendent John Bundy says Shiloh’s setup is different than most. “We have union burials and confederate burials so we can honor both sides. This is one of the few places in American where we can do that,” he said. He says honoring the fallen soldiers is his duty, even though the park is seeing significant budget cuts of more than $30,000 a year. “We used to have nationally-known speakers, a very large event. We don’t have the ability to do that anymore but that doesn’t mean we can’t all honor the fallen.” he said. Some guests and veterans say the ceremony should be a priority. “I think they should do better especially for men and women who lost their lives for us. We could pay better respects for them,” Ricky Jenkins, a park visitor, said. Bundy says the event used to bring in thousands of people. This year, about 500 people stopped by. “The last thing we want to do is become irrelevant in the mind of the public, so it’s a concern. I worry about it,” Bundy said. Bundy says as long as he is working there, the Memorial Day Ceremony will happen. “I have an honor and a duty to respect and pay homage to those fallen in battle. Not just in the civil war but in all battles,” he said. Bundy says he has eliminated positions, changed maintenance schedules, and cut overtime since the budget cuts started about five years ago.
