VFW remembers World War II veterans with ceremony

James Mayse, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·2 min read

On Friday afternoon, 113 flag-adorned crosses were set in rows on the grassy lawn behind the American Legion Post 696 building on Veterans Boulevard.

The crosses represent the 113 Kentucky service members who have been killed since the September 11, 2001, attacks. Meanwhile, the Post 696’s Honor Guard stood, waiting to fire a 21-gun salute.

The Post started the city’s Memorial Day commemoration with its “Flanders Fields” service in honor of veterans, particularly those who served in World War II.

Jessie Hettinger, who organized the ceremony, said she retrieved the names of every Owensboro and Daviess County veteran who served in World War II with the help of the Daviess County Public Library. Hettinger said 2,817 men served in the armed forces during the war.

There were too many names to read them all during the brief commemoration, so members of the veterans community read a handful of names, while highlighting a couple of their stories.

Derek Van Tuyl, an Army veteran who served as a combat medic in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Owensboro and Daviess County residents are particularly supportive of veterans.

“I’m originally from New York, and one of the reasons I’m here is (Owensboro) has a very large veterans’ community, and civilians in the community support veterans more than any place I’ve ever been,” he said. “That’s what Memorial Day is all about: We want to honor and remember the ones who aren’t here anymore.”

The Poppies Field Service focused on local World War II service members and all American servicemen killed in the war, Hettinger said.

“The greater part of our World War II veterans have passed on,” Hettinger said. “I’m so proud of all the veterans who went to serve. I’m sorry I don’t have time to announce you all, but I’m thinking about you.”

Van Tuyl, who does an 11-mile walk each Memorial Day in honor of friends who died in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the walks have grown into a community event, with multiple people walking in honor of veterans. This year’s walk will start at 9 a.m. at the Shelton Memorial and will end back at the memorial in Smothers Park.

“Personally, it gives me time to reflect on my friend and the good memories, and the lives that were cut short,” Van Tuyl said.