The Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office usually plays a key role in the local Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances. But for Memorial Day 2026, Sheriff Noel Brown even gave the keynote remarks in the program hosted by American Legion Dexter Allen Post 90 at the Emma Kelly Theater.

“We gather today on a weekend often marked by backyard barbecues, the opening of pools and the start of summer,” said Brown, an Air Force veteran. “But we are not here to celebrate the start of the season. We are here, in the quiet shade of tradition and respect, to honor the profound, somber and sacred purpose of Memorial Day.”

With no musical prelude, a recorded instrumental rendition of the National Anthem and no singing except the traditional audience-participation rendering of “God Bless America” at the end, the event beginning around 11 a.m. Monday seemed quieter, the mood more solemn than for many such past gatherings.

But a respectful crowd of around 100 people attended, and the tone fit one of the first points of Brown’s speech, that this holiday in late May honors a different group of citizen warriors and their families than does its November 11 counterpart.

“It is easy to confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day,” the sheriff continued. “But they are distinct. Veterans Day is to thank those who survived the fire, those who wore the uniform, and returned to us. Today, Memorial Day, is to remember those who did not return.

“Today is for the ones who laid down their lives for the United States of America,” he said. “It is a day to honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on foreign soil, in distant oceans and in the skies above to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.”

Those who made that sacrifice, Brown said, include “1.3 million Americans from the battlefields of the Revolutionary War to the deserts of the Middle East” who “believed in the American way of life more than they feared death.”

Americans today can honor them “by living our lives in a way worthy of their sacrifice …,” he continued.

“We honor them by protecting the democracy they died for and treating each other with the freedom they fought to secure,” Brown said.

His speech was entitled “The Cost of Freedom: Remembering Our Fallen,” with stated themes of gratitude, sacrifice and remembrance. He also spoke of “honoring their families, the Gold Star Families …” who “carry the weight of this holiday every single day, not just on the last Monday in May.”

Respect in every fold

In a separate but related theme, Brown spoke of renewing respect for the American flag and teaching that respect to young people.

He cited meanings of the colors, the red, white and blue, as assigned by the Continental Congress in 1782 and went on to ascribe meanings to each step in the most solemn ceremony performed with the flag.

“Perhaps the most moving display of respect occurs during a flag-folding ceremony, of seen at a veteran’s funeral,” he said. “You’ve likely seen the precision of the tight, triangular fold. But did you know that every one of those 13 folds carries a specific symbolic meaning?

“The first fold is a symbol of life. The second is a symbol of our belief in eternal life. …,” he began, reciting something for each fold. “And the 13th fold, when the flag is completely tucked in, reminds us of our nation’s motto, ‘In God we trust.’”

Brown, a 1988 Portal High School graduate, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1989 to 1993. During the Gulf War in Kuwait and Iraq, he participated in both Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, where he volunteered for forward duty. He has served with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office since 1999 and as the elected sheriff since 2017.

The sheriff’s speech actually came near the end of Monday’s program. But a more traditional sheriff’s department contribution marked the beginning, when Capt. Kenny Thompson and Cpl. Aneshia Best of the BCSO Honor Guard, with practiced formality, carried the flags of the United States and of the state of Georgia onto the stage for the playing of the National Anthem.

Serving as master of ceremonies, American Legion Post 90’s Nick Spletstoser, senior chaplain at Ogeechee Area Hospice, gave the welcome and led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Post 90 Chaplain Mike Skarhus gave the opening prayer.

“Almighty God, let us pay tribute this morning to our dearly departed,” Skarhus prayed, in part. “We honor them and their memory, of the valiance of service men and women who made the supreme sacrifice so that we may live in a country that’s free.”

Poems and names

Intoning the names of Bulloch County’s war dead from each season of combat is a tradition at the Memorial Day observances. This year, the program featured readings of poignant Memorial Day-related poems or short verse before the intonement for each war period or region of conflict.

After reciting a poem simply entitled “Memorial Day” by C.W. Johnson, Spletstoser read aloud the names of the county’s fallen warriors of World War I. The first named, because the first who died in the 20th century wars, was Dexter Allen, for whom the Legion post is named. But there is a lengthy list, recited each year.

Colette Spletstoser, the emcee’s daughter, recited “In Flanders Fields,” by Jordan McCrae. That’s the poem that begins, “In Flanders’ fields, row by row, between the crosses, poppies grow.” American Legion “in memoriam” pin-on paper poppies had been distributed to people arriving in the lobby, where donations were received for family assistance programs.

George Sterling, a U.S. Navy veteran, intoned the names of the Bulloch County military servicemen of World War II who lost their lives in the European and Atlantic Theater of Operations.

Then Martha Ann Tanner, immediate past regent of the Archibald Bulloch Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, read aloud “Let Them in, Peter,” by John Gorka and Elma Dean. Members of the local DAR chapter, with new regent Bette Wester, had also provided refreshments for people arriving at the theater.

Post 90 Adjutant Gary Martin, a U.S. Air Force veteran, intoned the names of the Bulloch County military servicemen of World War II who lost their lives in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

After that, Ann Purcell recited “Remember,” a brief poem by Victor C. Kleinschmit.

Randy Jones, an Army veteran, intoned the names of Bulloch County community members who died in the Korean War.

Ken Johnson, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War who is Post 90’s current service officer, recited his own poem, “American Soldier,” which he wrote in May 1970.

“We went or were sent to far away war / Some returned, some breathe no more,” is a couplet from the second stanza.

Randy Brigman, Post 90’s sergeant at arms, then read aloud the names of Bulloch County’s fallen service members of the Vietnam War.

A veteran also recited “1914-1918 War,” a poem by Laura J. Sanders that reflects back on World War I.

Then Spletstoser intoned the names of Bulloch County’s war dead from the most recent period, from the Gulf War though “current hostilities,” including the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars or Global War on Terror.

Family members of the fallen were asked to stand as their names were called, and after all the names had been intoned, the crowd stood for the playing of “Taps.”

Another reading was of “Memorial” by Dean C. Broome.

In addition to American Legion Post 90 and the Averitt Center for the Arts, which operates the Emma Kelly Theater, sponsors for the event included Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens, and Ogeechee Area Hospice.

Post 90 hosted a hamburger and hotdog lunch free to attendees afterward at the American Legion Hall on Rucker Lane.