Decatur Memorial Day Weekend Events To Honor Those Killed in Service

3 thoughts on “Decatur Memorial Day Weekend Events To Honor Those Killed in Service”

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2. Thanks Nick. This weekend provides a great opportunity to visit the Decatur cemetery and spend time reflecting on the lives of those from Decatur who made the supreme sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today. One such person was “Roy Duffie, 1Lieut. Air Corp, Jan 8, 1943”, who is buried near the western road in the new cemetery. According to his obituary, Duffie graduated from DHS Boys High in 1935 and later from UGA where he was president of his fraternity Pi Kappa Phi his senior year. He was also very active in the work of Decatur First Baptist Church. He was the navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress when he “was killed in action against the Japanese somewhere in the South Pacific”. One of the pallbearers was his best friend from DHS Boys High, Lieutenant Ben Duke, who lost his life a few months later while serving as “a member of a fighter squadron in the South Pacific cited for gallantry”. Duke also graduated from UGA and was a leader in many student organizations including Alpha Xi Sigma, a social fraternity. Both Duffie and Duke are buried close to each other, Duke about twenty yards north of the Veterans Rock and Duffie about thirty yards north of Duke, forever close friends. You can look for an American flag near their monuments as well as wings on the stone symbolizing their service. Not far from Duffie is the grave of Colton Reynolds Clark Jr. Lieutenant Clark, a graduate of DHS Boys High, died when his pursuit plane crashed into San Francisco Bay. His last words to the radio tower were that he was going to crash into the bay in order to avoid hitting buildings in San Francisco. “His mother, who was on the way to see him, when news of his death was brought to her on the train, has returned home” according the obituary in the DeKalb New Era. His funeral was at Oakhurst Baptist Church.
   These are some of the stories about the boys from Decatur whose memory we honor this Memorial Day Weekend.

4. According to DeKalb war historian Leon S. Hollingsworth, “the City of Decatur topped in the number of (World War II) war dead with 65”. Many of these men are not buried in the City of Decatur cemetery. One such individual was Private John C. Freeman who grew up at 126 Melrose Avenue. He was “a former student at Decatur Boys High” and like many DHS students at the time, left before graduation to enter the service. “J.C.” was killed on June 6, 1944, D-Day, while on duty in France.
   The City of Decatur Memorial Day Weekend observance is an ongoing project where new heroes are honored every year. In 2014, I was led to the memorial for John C. Hollingsworth, commander of the U.S.S. Scamp which was lost at sea in 1944. This year, I have learned that Lieutenant Neil Springfield, who was killed in 1944 when his plane crashed into a mountain near Carlsbad Army Air Field in New Mexico, is buried somewhere in the Decatur Cemetery. “Lt. Springfield was on a night flight when his plane ran into a terrific electrical storm and as a result, crashed into the side of a mountain.” Springfield was a former student at Decatur Boys High, the Georgia Military Academy and Georgia Tech. According to his obituary, a funeral service was “held at Decatur First Baptist Church with internment in the Decatur Cemetery with full military honors. If anyone knows the location of Lt. Springfield’s grave, please contact me ASAP ([email protected]). We would like to decorate his grave with a flag and a flower tonight at 6:00 (Sunday).
   These are just a few of the stories about the Boys of Decatur who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy today. They should not be forgotten.

6. For most of Decatur, Memorial Day is that one day of the year when we reflect upon those who made the supreme sacrifice for our freedom. But for those family members who lost someone, Memorial Day is everyday. Many never forget and continue grieving the rest of their lives. I experienced this for the first time when a plaque in front of Decatur High School containing the names of all former students killed in the line of duty was dedicated in 1996. It was at this ceremony that I met the sister of Second Lieutenant Edward Rutledge Ravenel III. Lieutenant Ravenel was killed during the Korean War. After the dedication ceremony, her voice cracked with emotion as she described the great qualities of her brother. Since that time, I’ve learned that Ravenel had family serving in most American conflicts dating back and including the American Revolution. A Decatur High School Close Up team of students placed a wreath at the Korean War Memorial dedicated to Ravenel and four additional DHS graduates who were killed during that conflict in 2011. I was looking forward to finding Ravenel’s sister to show her the pictures of the ceremony only to find out that she had died a few weeks before the Close Up trip. Her daughter later told me that her mom grieved throughout her life for the brother she lost in the Korean War. A picture of Second Lieutenant Ravenel can be found at http://www.abmc.gov/search-korean-war-veterans-memorial-honor-roll/detail/Korea_26186#.VWNeaKMpDFo
   First Lieutenant Charles W. Sharman graduated for DHS and later Presbyterian College (along with SSG Allan B. Calloway who was also killed while serving in Vietnam and is buried close by Sharman). One of Sharman’s best friends at DHS still lives in Decatur and told me about his tragic death. I could tell that Sharman’s death more than forty years ago still bothered him. A picture of First Lieutenant Sharman can be found at http://www.fold3.com/image/314277601/
   Second Lieutenant Ravenel is buried in the Decatur Cemetery in area 7 between sections 8&9 near Glenlake Park. Nearby are the graves of his mother, father and the sister who never forgot. First Lieutenant Sharman and SSG Allan B. Calloway are buried in area 11 section 11. If you visit Sharman’s grave you will notice a Marine flag, always present, Semper Fidelis.
   Please join us tonight at 5:00 at the Veterans Rock for a brief remembrance ceremony. Afterwards we will pick up the flags and roses.

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