The HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas will hold a Memorial Day Service on Monday at 7 p.m. at Elkins Lake Baptist Church.

“We are going to recognize all branches of the armed forces in all wars and conflicts, and those currently serving in the armed forces,” said Charlotte Oleinik, museum director. “We want to honor the memory of those that sacrificed their lives.”

The master of ceremonies for the event will be Mickey Evans, who has hosted the services since they were started.

The service will include performances by the Huntsville Community Men’s Choir, the Greater Zion Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir and the EASTEX Detachment Marine Corps League Color Guard.

The detachment, composed entirely of Marine veterans, will open the ceremony in a tradition of reverence.

“We will present the colors, the flags. A patriotic opening of any ceremony is to salute the flag,” said Bob Quinn, Commandant of the EASTEX Detachment. “We’re really proud to be called on to participate.”

Men of All Ranks

The Huntsville Community Men’s Choir will be one of the groups performing at the program. The members’ ages range between 18 and 86, and they come from eight different churches and six different denominations.

“This is probably the eighth year we’ve been singing for Veteran’s Day programs and Memorial Day programs,” said Norman Ward, the Director of the Huntsville Community Men’s Choir. “Those days are very important to us, because probably three fourths of my men are military veterans from about every branch of the armed forces.”

Ward, an Army veteran himself, said that singing patriotic music has more meaning to the group than it would to a group with no experience in the armed forces.

“A lot of the guys in the choir have seen combat duty, so it’s very inspiring for me to get in front of them and know that they’ve given back to the country before, and now they’re doing it again by singing,” he said.

The group will sing primarily patriotic music, and will also integrate a few spiritual songs. Their program will start with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and close with “God Bless America,” during which they will get everyone involved in singing.

“We’ll also do the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ and a song entitled ‘For the Fallen,’ keeping in mind that this is a program in memory of people who have given their lives, and this song speaks to that,” Ward said.

In addition to the more popular patriotic songs, the group will also sing hymns specific to each branch of the armed forces.

“We’ll sing the Air Force hymn, the Army hymn and so forth, and when we sing those, we’ll ask those that served in those branches to stand up and be recognized,” Ward said. “That’s always very meaningful, and we do that each time we have one of these, because it gives the military veterans out there a chance to stand and be recognized.”

Ward said that the services like this one are extremely important, especially to the older veterans that will be in attendance.

“A lot of these men that have served in battle are not going to be around a lot more years, so we need to recognize them,” he said. “It should be a good service. It’s always well-attended, and it seems to work out real well.”



Keynote speaker to address peers

The keynote speaker for the event will be Jay Kimbrough, who was recently appointed as the Texas Youth Commission Conservator.

“Jay Kimbrough is very humble,” Oleinik said. “I think the main thing he’s going to speak on is how we need to treat the soldiers from Iraq when they come back.”

According to Evans, this is the first Memorial Day service organized by the HEARTS museum that has featured Kimbrough as a speaker.

“This is the first time he’s been asked to deliver a message. He is a Vietnam veteran and a former U.S. Marine, so that will be a little different,” he said.



An important tradition

The museum has held memorial services since 1999, and this service will be the seventh they have organized.

“This is a very special service in which we remember and celebrate the selfless service of these great American patriots through music,” Evans said. “I am a veteran and a retired professional soldier, and having served a career in the U.S. Army, I know how important it is to be recognized for what we do for our country.”

Evans said that people need to understand the depth of importance of honoring soldiers who have served during times of war or peace.

“Soldiers chose to do things most people chose not to do,” he said. “We would not enjoy the many benefits that we too often take for granted without their sacrifices. On Memorial Day in particular, we should take time to honor and remember those that have given their lives.”

Taking his own experience into account, Evans said he feels especially indebted to soldiers past and present, and hopes that everyone in the community will attend the service in honor of their sacrifices.

“Gen. George Patton once said, ‘It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived,’ and I absolutely believe that,” he said.

Elkins Lake Baptist Church is located at 206 State Highway 19. The public is invited and admission is free.

For more information, call the museum at (936) 295-5959.