Many see Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial start to the summer season, enjoying a three-day weekend at the beach.
But for others — and the real meaning behind the government holiday — it’s a time to remember those in the military who died in service to the country.
The number of local casualties from World War II total 63 from the Army alone, according to records with the National Archives.
(Note: Navy and Marine Corps casualties are organized by name, not county, making it difficult for a quick search.)
According to the National Archives, there were three local soldiers killed during the Korean War: Pvt. 1st Class Jimmy Porter (1953); Pvt. 1st Class William Lloyd Gordon (1951); and Pvt. 1st Class Clem McDuffie (1950).
McDuffie’s remains were finally returned to Hamlet for burial last year.
Fourteen servicemembers from Richmond County were killed during the Vietnam War:
U.S. Army - James Arthur Ashecraft, Donald Lincoln Covington, Benjamin Tally Dawkins, Jimme Lewis Ellerbe, Luther Harris Howard, Thomas Lee Lewis, James Edward McPherson, Wiley Barry Moss, Billie Grover Russ, Noah Leland Smith and William Thomas Waddell
U.S. Navy - Lonnie Elwood Hoopaugh
U.S. Air Force - Robert Austin Stubberfield
U.S. Marine Corps - Lonnie Ellerbe Jr.
There are three Memorial Day services scheduled across Richmond County this weekend.
Dobbins Heights will host its annual remembrance event at 10 a.m. Friday inside the town’s community center.
The county’s veterans groups will also host their annual ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday in Veterans Memorial Park, across the street from VFW Post 4203 in Rockingham.
Retired Sgt. Major Derrick D. Chambers, one of the Army JROTC instructors at Richmond Senior High School, is scheduled to be the guest speaker for both events.
A native of Morven, Chambers enlisted in the Army after graduating high school in 1989 and turned it into a 30-year career, with stations including: Fort Stewart and Fort Gordon, Georgia; Kaiserslautern and Dexheim, Germany; Camp Casey Korea; Fort Hood, Texas; and Fort Bragg.
The town of Norman will also host a service at the Field of Honor at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The memorial park, spearheaded and partially funded by Don Simmons, opened in September of 2024.
