Carrollton and Minerva plan Memorial Day observances

Carroll County Commissioner Robert Wirkner will be the guest speaker for Carrollton’s annual Memorial Day service Monday, May 25.

A parade will form and step off at 10 a.m. on Third Street NE, followed by an 11 a.m. program at Westview Cemetery. Veterans’ graves were decorated May 16 with flags.

Wirkner joined the United States Navy upon graduation from high school in 1973. He served four years active duty primarily on the USS William V. Pratt, a guided missile frigate. He explained the Pratt called on a host of foreign countries, notably becoming the first United States warship to visit Russian bloc ports since World War II in an exchange program that also witnessed a Russian frigate visit American ports. Among his duties were shipboard security assignments.

Wirkner also served with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office over the years, ascending to chief deputy sheriff, a position he held spanning two administrations.

While chief deputy sheriff under the Lucas administration, Wirkner attended the 200th session of the FBI National Academy, earning a certificate in law enforcement through the University of Virginia. Courses attended while at the academy, especially constitutional law and forensic science, were employed throughout his career, including two 18-month tours in Iraq.

During the first tour, through a contract subsidized by the Justice Department, Wirkner served as deputy director of the Wassit Province Training Academy in Al-Kut, Iraq. While in that position, he earned his International Master Police Training Certificate.

During the second tour, through a contract subsidized by the Department of Defense, Wirkner was embedded with the United States Army serving as a uniformed investigator tasked primarily with investigating offenses perpetrated against coalition forces. Wirkner served in that capacity until the drawdown from Iraq, earning various letters of commendation from the Army in recognition of his work.

Offering the people of Carroll County the benefit of lifetime training and experiences, Wirkner was elected in 2012 to commissioner of the Jan. 2 term, a position he continues to serve.

Minerva area services

The West Township Memorial Association will hold Memorial Day services Monday, May 25, at Moultrie Chapel located on state Route 172 in Moultrie. The chapel is located two miles east of New Franklin, north of Minerva and two miles east of the intersection of state Routes 183 and 172. The address is 23577 state Route 172.

Vice President Jeff Haynam will welcome attendees and lead the outdoor program, which will consist of the Honor Guard from VFW Post 4120 of Minerva giving a salute, followed by Katie Reusser playing taps. This will be followed by a march throughout the cemetery to place fresh-cut flowers on veterans’ final resting places.

Iva Lowmiller, a fifth grader from Minerva Elementary School, will recite the Gettysburg Address. Patriotic music will be provided by the Minerva Community Band under the direction of Derrick Maxey. At the conclusion of the outdoor program, attendees will be invited to move into the historic Moultrie Chapel.

The chapel program will include speaker Ken Bandy of Knox Township. Bandy is an Army veteran of the Vietnam era, a retired attorney and history buff. He has spoken on several occasions for historical societies.

His story, “Remembering Roger,” about World War II soldier Roger W. Taylor, who was killed in the Battle of the Bulge and was from Beloit, was one of his well-received presentations at the Beloit Historical Society. The title of Bandy’s Memorial Day speech is “The Story Beneath the Stone.”

While honoring and remembering all who have died in America’s conflicts, Bandy will tell the story of a young man from Lynchburg in West Township who was killed in action at the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, during the Civil War and is buried at Moultrie Cemetery.

Attending veterans will be recognized. Special music, including songs of the Civil War, will be provided by Minerva High School graduating senior Megan Lynn. President Shirley Whiteleather Fox will preside over the indoor service.

The service will conclude with Joseph Ellis leading a congregational sing. Ice cream will be served after the service. This tradition has continued since the beginning of Memorial Day observances many years ago, and all are welcome to attend, organizers said.

The West Township Memorial Association includes Shirley Whiteleather Fox, president; Jeff Haynam, vice president; Diana Richeson, secretary; William Ellis, treasurer; Stephen Smith, Katie Reusser, and Joseph and Sarah Ellis.