The room was silent Monday morning at the 20th annual Mayor’s Memorial Day Breakfast as the Auburn University Navy ROTC presented the colors of the United States. Then crowd erupted into song as they joined Lisa Tabor in singing the national anthem.
“Beautiful rendition,” said retired Lt. Col. Fred Lacy. “It pains me when I hear people sing the national anthem and they don’t sing it the way it was written. Rather they try to show off their vocal range and it is so painful to me.”
The purpose of the breakfast was to celebrate and remember all of the veterans that lost their lives while serving their country.
Each year Mayor Bill Ham and the Auburn Veterans Committee give the Distinguished Veteran Award. This year Lacy was given that honor.
Lacy, a decorated veteran and author, served in the U.S. Army for 21 years with time spent in Europe, Korea and Vietnam. In 1971, Lack retired to Auburn and worked with the Auburn University Army ROTC.
“I don’t even know who Fred Lacy is,” Lacy said. “But I stand before you and I thank you mayor, this was a super idea. It has grown every year.”
Lacy credits most of his success to his wife, she served just as much as he did, Lacy said.
Lacy even asked all of the military spouses in the room to stand and be recognized for their service. Without them, the military would not be what it is today, Lacy said.
“This room is full of heroes,” Lacy said. “I’m the least of the least.”
Today, Lacy said, he sees a lack of commitment in the United States and it is concerning.
As he listened to Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the U.S.A.” recently, the lines “I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free resonated with Lacy.
“To be a great country you have to have a commitment from all of your citizens,” Lacy said. “You have to do, like Mr. Greenwood said. ‘I’m proud to stand up.’ We have to pass this on to our children.”
Lacy urged the attendees and all Americans to be proud of their country, or they may see it fall just as the great empires of the world did.
“As I studied history, some of the greatest empires at their peak, their strongest,” Lacy said. “Yet they were destroyed from within, not with out. To be a great country, you have to have a commitment from all of your citizens.”
Lacy was among three honorees. Sgt. Frank deGraffenried’s family was given deGraffenried’s 2018 Auburn Heros Remembered Award.
The Auburn Veterans Committee also recognized Ham for 20 years of outstanding service and support.
“We as the Auburn Veterans Committee wanted to recognize him,” said Ward 6 City Councilman and retired Capt. Dick Phelan. “Not only for having served for 32 years on the City Council but also having served on and orchestrated the Veterans Committee for the last 20 years.”
The Mayor’s Memorial Day Breakfast was created in 1998 when the Auburn Veterans Committee was established.
“Twenty years ago there was locally, very little recognition of our military,” Ham said. “As much military influence as there is, through Auburn University’s ROTC and the programs at Auburn University, we just thought it would be well accepted and needed.”
The committee was created because Ham, Phelan and other community members wanted to do more to honor veterans in the Auburn community. They now host Memorial Day and Veterans Day celebrations each year.
The breakfast concluded as Tabor sang a “Service Song Medley” while members of each branch of the military stood for their song. The whole crowd joined together and sang “God Bless America.”
After the breakfast, there was a short wreath laying ceremony at the Auburn Veterans Memorial. There Tabor opened the program again with the national anthem, sang just the way Lacy likes it.
Once the flags were lowered to half-staff and a wreath was placed in front of the memorial, the crowd joined Tabor once again to sing “God Bless America” and concluded the Memorial Day celebration.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
