DVA Thanks Veterans For Service
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Downtown Vidalia Association thanked local veterans for their service to the nation during the annual Veterans Day Luncheon on Tuesday, November 11, at the Vidalia Community Center.
Each year, the Downtown Vidalia Association welcomes veter- continued from page
ans from throughout the region to enjoy a free meal and a chance at winning over twenty door prizes as a token of gratitude for the men and women’s service in the United States’ military. “We certainly understand that freedom is not free, and we are so grateful for each of your willingness to serve our country so that we can continue to have that freedom,” Downtown Vidalia Association Executive Director Tonya Parker told the attendees.
During the event, U.S. Navy A.W.S.W. Marcus Small addressed the audience, reflecting on his own military experience and sharing his gratitude for several local individuals that helped him throughout his time while enlisted.
Small explained that he grew up living in Raymonia Apartments, as his grandfather Thomas Small, father Alan Small, and mother Sharon Small were all from Vidalia. He stated that he graduated from Vidalia High School as a classmate of Parker and Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper, but ultimately left the city to attend boot camp in the Great Lakes in Michigan in the summer of 1996.
“Initially for me, it was a chance to kind of get away and kind of stay out of trouble. I was getting into a lot of trouble, doing a lot of dumb things, just being really immature, and kind of merely just following a stereotype. Then I got to the military and I found my purpose,” he emphasized. “I saw a few events that happened that truly swerved me toward that way. Because, like I said, initially when I went in, I was just thinking like, hey, I’m going to get a check; I’m getting a nice ride. I’m going do this; I’m going do that. But that wasn’t the purpose. The purpose was to go, serve, and be needed where I was trained to be needed at. And unfortunately, that was to be in air traffic control – what I didn’t know was that that was going to take me down so many other avenues.”
He explained that he was able to deploy to Iraq with the U.S. Marines unit, where he learned to build runways, towers, communications, and more. “We were working hand-inhand with the joint force team. We had a few guys from the Air Force, and a few guys from the Army as well. The one thing that I learned a lot was that, you know, everything was about teamwork. Nothing was about me anymore. If you ever participated in any sports, which I think a lot of people in here may have done, you know the importance of teamwork. We keep each other. The military is one of the biggest fraternities there is, and it’s truly, truly a brotherhood,” Smalls remarked.
He continued, “You know, you may not look at it now, but I’ve been at breakfast with somebody, and they didn’t make it to lunch. So now, you know, you’re carrying that person back, and you can’t even eat because you’re shaken up. You’re just talking with this guy, and that’s your brother. We’re all we have out there. So, I learned that purpose, and I took that with me. I can’t imagine what it was like for all of you that served prior to me – how hard it was without the technology, without the things that we had. My heart goes out to y’all for what you guys actually saw compared to some of the things that I saw. But it doesn’t make me any less of a brother than anybody else in here, because of what we went through, and what we had to fight through to get to where we are today.”
“And I’m just thankful to God that he was able to bring me back here safely. I deployed 10 times within 20 years. When I first got in, I wanted to deploy. Everything that was needed, I was trying to go. I was trying to take everything slowly. I wanted to go. I wanted to learn. I wanted to be better. I wanted to elevate in life. I wanted to elevate, which helped me for later in my career, because I was able to help elevate other brothers and sisters,” Small emphasized.
He told the audience that he was able to not only have a successful military career, but to also build bonds and friendships that he still treasures today. He connected with the audience through stories of boot camps and barracks, and he thanked several community and family members for their roles in his success.
Smalls also shared the heartache that he feels for those who were lost in battle, and explained that he knows that the fellow veterans feel the same heartache, but will continue to keep those individuals’ memories alive.
“For those that may not have served or had the pleasure to serve, the military is truly a family. And today I look amongst this room, and that’s pretty much what I see,” he commented. “That’s what I tell a lot of younger people, even the ones that’s going because, you know, some of the military is such a bad stereotype. But that was the greatest decision that the Lord has ever made. Had I not done that, who knows where I would be at. I definitely wouldn’t be here today. He guided me, He kept me, and I’m thankful for all of that. And I’m thankful for you guys more importantly.”
At the end of Small’s address, the Vidalia High School SoundTribe played a “Taps” medley to honor the veterans and in commemoration of the occasion.
Downtown Vidalia Association Tonya Parker emphasized that the ancontinued from page
nual event is only possible through the collaboration of several individuals and organizations, as local businesses donate door prizes, Downtown Vidalia Association Board of Directors members help to set up the luncheon and register veterans for the drawings upon arrival, and the Boy Scout Troop 933 works to serve the veterans at their tables. The meal served to attendees also comes as a result of community partnerships, as it is donated by the local Masonic Lodge, Food World, Chick-fil-a, and Community Hospice.
TAPS MEDLEY – The Vidalia High School SoundTribe performed a Taps Medley at the Veterans Day Luncheon on November 11.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
RECOUNTING EXPERIENCES – U.S. Navy A.W.S.W. Marcus Small recounted his time in the military to the audience, as he thanked several community members for helping him throughout childhood and his time of active duty.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
NATIONAL ANTHEM –Toombs County Middle School 6th Grader Kinsley Jeter leads the Downtown Vidalia Association Veterans Day Luncheon attendees in the singing of the National Anthem.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
AMERICA’S WHITE TABLE – Downtown Vidalia Association Executive Director Tonya Parker discusses the display of America’s White Table, which honors fallen, missing, or captive service members.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
