A Memorial Day service was held at 5 p.m. Monday at the corner of Park Avenue and 2nd Street in Eunice.
The event was sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of the Foreign Wars, Doucet-Aucoin Post 8971 and the American Legion Post 129 Turner-Mornhinveg Moore.
The Boy Scouts of Troop 425 held a flag-raising ceremony. The scouts included Keylon Valaire, Carter McCauley, William Faulkner, Blaise LeDoux, Caden Schoeffler, Noah LeJeune, Brandon McGee, Gaige McGee and Travis Marcantel.
The ceremonial “Taps” was played by Gene Olivier, commander of District 7.
Present during the program and representing the Kinder 215 Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans were Terry Courville, Raymond Richard, Jerry Nevils, Ray Hargrave, L.A. Lester Guidry, Darrell Lopez and Perry Lopez. Courville read a tribute to a fallen soldier who fought during war.
The Kinder veterans then placed symbolic gear of a fallen soldier, the combat boots, a soldier’s helmet, the combat rifle and dog tags.
Paying tribute on Memorial Day was Germaine Simpson, city councilwoman Ward 2. Simpson thanked all women and men who served and died for our freedom and country. Simpson also read a poem dedicated to all those who paid the price for our freedom.
Jeanne Rougeau of Ladies Auxiliary Post stood near a table of a single-place setting symbolizing a missing MIA-POW. Each piece of table setting symbolizes, represents, honors and recognize those missing in war. A national and local MIA POW Day is celebrated each year on the third Friday of September.
A 21 gun salute was presented by the Kinder 215 Chapter of Vietnam Veterans.
Don Reber, junior vice commander of VFW Post 8971, rang the bell for each veteran as VFW Post Commander Roger Veillon, read the names of the fallen.
World War I: R. Turner;
World War II: E. Amy, E. Andrepont, L.E. Aucoin, C.P. Aymond, A. Bollich, S. Bollich, H. Bundick, Jr., N. Doucet, A. Dupre, J.M. Fontenot, H. J. Frey, J.W. Frey, G.A. Gary, F. Guillory, W. Kessler, B. J. LeJeune, S. Manuel, C.C. Matt, E. Matt, K. McGee, J.L. Miller, C.W. Mornhinveg, and R. Reese.
Korean War: A. J. Anderson and J. Moore;
Vietnam War: J. D. Feucht, A. Monday, D.W. Sistrunk, C.R. Williams, A. Duplechain and J. Williams.
Ex-Pow’s of Eunice named were James J. Bollich, Marion Courville, Curley J. Daigle, Dennis A. Doucet, James Leroy Fruge, Harold A. Gourney, Hubert McManus, John Bruce Miller and Orval L. Simpson.
Some of the commanders represented during the Memorial Day service included David Crader of the American Legion Post 129, Roger Veillon of the VFW Post 8971, District 7 Commander Gene Olivier, and Kenny Manuel of the DAV Chapter 9.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, red, white and blue balloons were given to each person in attendance and were released in memory of those who served and died.
