Memorial Day at McKinney Park Points to a Future Woodruff Veterans Memorial
Woodruff honored the fallen at McKinney Park on Memorial Day 2025, and a local nonprofit committee is working to build a permanent veterans memorial there.
The Woodruff Times reported on May 30, 2025 that the community gathered at McKinney Park on Monday, May 26, 2025 for a Memorial Day ceremony honoring service members who died in the nation's service. Here is our summary.
The speakers: Three veterans addressed the crowd. Master Sergeant Brian Richards, a U.S. Army veteran of two Afghanistan deployments, gave remarks. Tom Davies, a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran (Gunner's Mate Third Class) and Purple Heart recipient, also spoke. The keynote came from Sergeant Terry Simmons, a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, Purple Heart recipient and survivor of the Battle of Hamburger Hill, who paid tribute to comrades he lost. The ceremony included the playing of Taps.
A memorial for McKinney Park: The event also marked McKinney Park as the planned site of the Woodruff Veterans Memorial, a permanent tribute to local veterans. The effort is led by the Woodruff Veterans Memorial Committee, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit chaired by Greg Ryan, with Brian Richards as vice chairman, Morgan Andrews as treasurer and Michael Thompson as secretary. The paper reported that the committee is seeking community support and involvement, and pointed readers to wdfvets.org for details.
With Veterans Day on November 11, residents who want to help can contact the committee through the site named in the source article.
This is our own summary of reporting by Tracy Sanders for The Woodruff Times. Read the full story at the source link.