By Rachel Schmalz
Memorial Day is the day when Americans honor the fallen service men and women and the Daughters of the Suwanee Creek Chapter NSDAR (National Society Daughters of the Revolution) did just that with their second annual Memorial Day Ceremony in Sugar Hill, GA. Amy Nation, who is a Georgia Daughter with the Etowah Chapter and a Gold-Star family member, spoke about her brother, SSG Neal L. Bolin, who was killed in combat in a search and rescue mission in Afghanistan.
The somber weather reflected the mood as Suwanee Creek Chapter Regent, Rachel Schmalz, and Honorary Regent, Cathy Hyer, placed a wreath on the Veterans Monument across from the Sugar Hill City Hall. The Button Gwinnett Chapter of the Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution also laid a wreath. Following the wreath-laying ceremony, members of the Suwanee Creek Chapter, residents of Sugar Hill, the Mayor and City Council and members of the Buford American Legion placed flags on the 112 graves of veterans in the adjacent Sugar Hill Baptist Cemetery that were identified by the Sugar Hill Historic Preservation Society.
The debt owed to those that lost their lives in defending this country can never be repaid. Ceremonies such as this make sure that their sacrifices are recognized and not taken for granted.
