D.A.R. honors local WWI and WWII veterans

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Jackson-Madison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution honored WWI and WWII veterans on Memorial Day.

The organization hosted a ceremony Monday honoring WWI and WWII veterans buried at Bemis Cemetery.

WWII Veteran J.D. Caren came to pay his respects. “Most of the soldiers in combat and the severe fighting really never talked about it,” he said.

Seven veterans from WWI and nine from WWII are buried at Bemis Cemetery, including Alice Holtin’s grandfather. “They didn’t have tanks and jeeps,” Holtin said. “They had horses and mules, sometimes we forget that.”

Jamie Boone’s grandfather served in WWI and her dad in WWII. “If you have a relative who has served in any war, talk to them about it,” Boone said. “Talk to your older relatives because those stories are lost once they’re gone.”

Memorial Day for Caren means more than just the unofficial start of summer. “It’s important to remember the sacrifices and hardships that soldiers made,” he said.

D.A.R. members spent several days cleaning up the cemetery and headstones for Monday’s ceremony.