Breath Taking
Weelky Upate 8/6/2023 to 8/12/2023 #185
Sometimes you have moments that leave you speechless, and this week had a few of them for me. Before I share more on this though, let me share some of my week serving as the mayor of the best small town in America.
This past week saw another hiring process for the Seymour Police Department. This time, we are looking to hire one new officer from the group. Thirty-nine applied, and heading into the written portion, the number was down to seven. For those that pass the written test, they will then go through an interview process. After several more steps, they could become a sworn officer here in Seymour. Good luck to those still in this process, and if you are interested in serving your community as a police officer, they will have another process in 2024.
Kudos to Chad Keithly with Parks and Recreation for another successful Putting for Parks. This year was his third time hosting this event, and he managed to raise the bar to equal the last two years put together. The proceeds from this event go to help with handicapped accessibility in our parks. From playground additions to rubberized flooring, every little bit helps. If you would like to be a sponsor for next year's event or would just like to make a donation, please reach out to Chad at City Hall. Good work and keep it up, sir.
I was able to participate in a couple of events related to The Wall That Heals this week. It is on display at the fairgrounds in Brownstown until Sunday, August 13 at 1:45 p.m. If you haven’t had a chance to visit yet, you should. The first of my events connected to the Vietnam Memorial replica was to participate in the parade to get it delivered to the fairgrounds. Around 90 vehicles participated in the escort; everything from motorcycles to firetrucks got the Wall delivered on time. After volunteers set up the display, it was open on Wednesday at 2 p.m. It will remain open 24 hours a day until it packs up to head to the next stop on Sunday at 2 p.m. There will be a short closing ceremony at 1:45 on Sunday.
My next interaction was on Thursday during the opening ceremony. After hearing very different stories from Vietnam veterans Gary Dyer and Larry Bothe, Commissioner Reedy and myself delivered proclamations. The names of those we lost from Jackson County were read before a 21-gun salute and Taps was played before releasing everyone to experience the traveling Wall.
Friday night just before sundown, Zabrina and I visited the Wall. Every evening, they play taps at sundown with a presentation of colors by the Seymour Young Marines. This is a wonderful chance to visit a national monument right here in our own community.
Now that I have gotten my breath back, let me explain a little bit. The last three items that I shared this week all had moments of taking my breath away. From seeing the stretched-out escort that took time out of a work day to deliver The Wall that Heals to listening to the local names as they were read just before the salute and Taps being played to experiencing the magnitude of the traveling version of the Vietnam Memorial after sunset Friday night, I was left breathless. As I watched the respect for our Vietnam Veterans these last few days, I couldn’t help but be left breathless. The designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial had this to say about her design. “I just wanted to be honest with people, I didn’t want to make something that said ‘They’ve gone away for a while.’ I wanted something that would just simply say,'They can never come back. They should be remembered'.” Thank you to all our veterans for your service and thank you to everyone who was involved at any level for bringing The Wall that Heals to Jackson County.