The weather was beautiful for the annual Veterans Day Service at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Laurel Monday morning, November 11. Veterans, families, and friends gathered in front of the museum to celebrate and remember those who serve our great country.
The raising of the flag was performed by members of the Disabled American Veterans as Chuck May sang the national anthem. Rob Ruffin led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance, which was followed by an invocation given by Col. Scott Carson, Chaplain U.S. Army, retired. May then led the assembly in singing “America the Beautiful.”
Ruffin reminded everyone that the museum is filled with artifacts given to the museum by veterans themselves and family members of veterans, and they each tell a story. “All veterans have a story to tell if you will sit down and talk to them,” said Ruffin. “Some want to talk to you; some do not.” He encouraged the younger generation to talk to the veterans and get their story and learn about their sacrifices and services to our country.
First Sgt. John Cross and Staff Sgt. Kenny Lightsey and other members of their Bravo Company, 106th Maintenance Battalion in Laurel, which is part of the 155 Brigade Combat Team of the Mississippi National Guard, brought a couple of military armored vehicles for all to see. The vehicles included a HEMMT with a FRSH (a large mobile tool box that will allow for the repair of another vehicle in the field) and a HUMVEE.
Dr. Robert Hilbun was the keynote speaker for the event. Hilbun, who is 88, is a retired dentist who had his practice in Laurel for many years and who served in the Army Medical Corp.
“There has never been a day that I loved this country more than I love her today,” began Hilbun. “And, there’s never been a day that I was prouder to be an American than I am proud to be an American today.”
Pointing to the American flag he said, “Where you see that American flag it represents this great nation and her great people. Any American who refuses to pledge allegiance to that flag ought to be ashamed of themselves. I was taught at an early age to respect the flag, which we affectionately call ‘Old Glory.’ That flag represents the highest ideals of freedom and liberty that we all cherish and enjoy in this one nation under God.”
Looking out over the crowd he said, “It has been people like you from generation to generation who has kept this country great and its liberty alive and well. This United States of America is without question the greatest nation in all of human history. She has remained great and she has remained free because its people like you, to a very large extent, that has lived according to its motto, ‘In God We Trust.’ Since its inception we have truly been a nation under God with liberty and justice for all. If we ever stop being a nation under God, we will cease to be free.”
Hilbun spoke of his disdain with what is happening in our country today.
“All is not well within the borders of this blessed land. In these 88 years the Lord’s given me to live, I never thought I’d see the day in which the overt and covert actions in the highest echelons of our government would seek to overthrow a duly elected president of this country. These self-acclaimed, self-appointed, holier-than-thou false accusers of our president, with their conjured up lies and unconstitutional methods, are a disgrace to human decency and to the principle of equal justice for all.”
Talking about our country being a republic, he repeated a statement once made by one of the Founding Fathers, “‘When the people of the nation learn they can vote themselves a free lunch, the republic will soon fail.’ We have many people today thinking the government owes them everything. But, these Founding Fathers knew that the American republic over the long haul would not be so easily maintained. The greatest threat to our republic today is crouching within the borders of our country and walking the halls of our government disguised as patriots.”
Hilbun also spoke of prayer and Bible reading being taken out of our schools as being one of the first steps toward the demise of our country. “Today, many of our colleges and universities are turning out a generation of young men and women so brainwashed they think they want socialism instead of our God ordained republic. That, my friend, is nothing short of intellectual stupidity.”
Speaking on the abortion issue Hilbun said, “Abortion has become a popular thing because it’s a convenience thing. A government provides for the murder of millions of unborn human beings in the disguise of Planned Parenthood.”
“The stakes are now being set for the radical socialistic takeover of our republic. We have numerous examples of nations that have been destroyed from within when its people decide they are entitled to everything free. We know that there are no free lunches. Somebody, somewhere, sometime has to pay for it,” he added.
“I say all of this not wanting to appear as a profit of doom,” exclaimed Hilbun. “I’m an optimist. I believe the greatest time in our nation is yet ahead of us. I believe we have a lot to hope for. We should not only hope for it, but strive toward it.”
“What I came here today to do was to remind all of us that freedom and liberty always comes at a price,” said Hilbun. “It’s not free. Sometimes freedom and liberty come at the price of blood on the battlefields of the world. Sometimes the price of liberty and freedom come at the price of the renewal of or faith in our God.”
He cited the word of God saying, “… If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then would I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.”
“I challenge you, along with myself, let’s not let our nation die by suicide,” exclaimed Hilbun. “God is the answer to what our nation needs today. If you don’t believe that statement, just look at Washington. Look in the halls of our government today. There’s never been a time in America’s history when things were in such chaos. God is the answer. It may take Jesus coming back to rapture the church to solve our problems, but one day it will be solved.”
The program concluded with a rifle salute by the Rosin Heels Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the playing of “Taps” by Master Sgt. John Rhoden Jr., USAF.