McKenzie honors fallen service members at ceremony on town square

McKENZIE, Tenn. — A special ceremony Monday at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown McKenzie recognized U.S. service members killed fighting for our country.

“These guys understood that with our freedom comes responsibility, and they stepped up and shouldered that responsibility,” Master Sgt. David Jarrett said.

Jarrett serves in the Tennessee Army National Guard and did tours in Iraq and Kuwait. He wears a bracelet in honor of Sgt. James “Dusty” Carroll, a local soldier killed in 2005. “He was one of the toughest kids that we had,” Jarrett said.

People carried flags and wore ribbons as a sign of support. Veterans came to pay tribute to the ones who did not make it home. “If we don’t recall what they gave up, it’s like we don’t really care what they did for us,” S.T. Holmes, a U.S. Navy veteran, said.

Holmes served during Vietnam. “Memorial Day means everything that we stand for, and that is freedom,” he said.

Jarrett hopes people remember what Memorial Day is really about. “We owe them, to remember them, to remember their sacrifice, to honor them, and to keep that spirit alive in this country,” he said.