Marshall honors Madison County veterans for their sacrifice and service
MARSHALL - The town of Marshall honored Madison County's veterans in a Memorial Day observance at the First Baptist Church downtown.
Sarah Scully, who lives in Marshall with her husband Donovan and their two kids, is an Army veteran who organized the Marshall American Legion Davis-Sexton Post 317 community art project contest to help raise funds for repairs to the building.
The building, located across from the Sprinkle Shelton building behind the former post office on Bridge Street and Jerry Plemmons Way, is estimated to require roughly $260,000 in repairs after Tropical Storm Helene decimated the building. The Legion has received roughly $80,000 in donations from volunteers.
In an observance planned for the Madison County Courthouse steps but moved inside due to rain, Scully and a number of other local veterans spoke to the crowd gathered May 26.
Scully reminded attendees of the price paid by veterans for their service, citing statistics that show 7,000 American veterans have died in combat since 2001, with another 30,000 dying by suicide.
"There's many different types of death and sacrifice in serving our country," Scully said. "But I also want to talk about those who didn't serve but serve alongside us, and that's our parents, siblings, spouses and children, including the two sitting in front of me."
Scully read from one of her pieces, "The Post-9/11 War Generation," which she said she wrote as a member of the veterans writing group Brothers and Sisters Like These, a group run by the Asheville Veterans Administration that helps veterans process their trauma by writing their stories and reading them aloud.
According to Scully, the piece was written with those less-recognized loved ones in mind.
"Our children, and all children of veterans serve as honorary veterans who never volunteered for that military service, but they live it everyday through their parents - a father with PTSD from combat, a mother with PTSD from military sexual trauma," Scully said.
During her time in the military from 2003-08, Sarah Scully served in Iraq, Japan, Korea, Kuwait and Thailand.
"Our quieter legacy is that we will all serve and sacrifice together, our stories eventually fading away only to be told by our children, and our children's children," Scully said. "We all, veterans and our children, the post-911 war generation, we are all one collective voice ringing out the price paid for that sacrifice.
"On days like Memorial Day, our kids understand in ways that children of civilians could never understand: the importance of remembering the honor, selfless service and personal courage of all veterans, because they were in it too."
Joseph Shmitt, the post commander at the Davis-Sexton American Legion Post 317 in Marshall, also spoke at the observance.
Shmitt said while athletes and movie stars are typically idolized, it is veterans and first responders who are the true heroes.
"The heroes that we are today are not exclusive to any gender, race or religion. They come from all economic classes and backgrounds, and they hail from all 50 states, and some have migrated from other countries," Shmitt said.
"They are a diverse group wedded to the belief that America is a nation worth fighting for."
Shmitt pointed to the history of Memorial Day, which was first observed in 1955 when President Dwight Eisenhower, a U.S. Army veteran, signed a proclamation signifying the day of recognition.
But while Memorial Day serves as a reminder to pay tribute to our veterans, Shmitt said Americans should remember to honor every day those who have taken an oath to serve for our freedoms, and to remember that peace is the goal.
"Monday May 13, 1955, was proclaimed as a day of nationwide prayer for permanent peace," Shmitt said. "It's a prayer that every American and every decent human should share, not just on Memorial Day 2025, but the rest of the year as well."
Donovan Scully served five combat deployments to Iraq. He also was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, where he received a Purple Heart. Scully served in the Navy from 1993-97. He was serving in the Navy Reserve when 9/11 happened, and his branch transferred to the Army, where he served from 2002-16, including 12 years as a United States Army Special Forces member, or the "Green Berets."
Donovan Scully spoke about sacrifice and service in his address to the attendees.
"For service members, sacrifice is not just an option, it's an obligation," he said. "Aspects of our sacrifices include our sense of duty to the nation, and the good of our unit over our individual comfort. It includes principles such as honor and courage, and our insatiable need to protect the innocent. It is our loyalty to our own brothers and sisters over that of our own family."
Like other veterans, Scully said Memorial Day offers him a chance to reflect on these sacrifices made by veterans, and to empathize with those families who have lost loved ones in these sacrifices.
According to Scully, the most important duty for a combat veteran is to his brothers and sisters in arms.
"Soldiers fight not for politicians in distant capitals, but for those with them to their left and their right," Scully said. "The camaraderie formed between soldiers is often profound. The survival of our fellow soldiers takes precedence above all else.
"When it gets right down to it, we've got to fight and protect our friends."
Scully said the physical and emotional sacrifices brought invaluable meaning through his service.
"My service took from me my feet, my hips, my lower spine, my shoulders, my hearing, my abilities, my dreams, my memories, my mind, my time with my family," Scully said. "Yet history is shaped by those who are willing to sacrifice and respond to the needs of their fellow man."
Shmitt read a list of names honoring the Madison County veterans who had died in the past year.
"The sacrifices made by our fallen are not just a somber reminder of our past, but a call to action for our future. We must continue to support our veterans, their families and those currently serving in our armed forces," Donovan Scully said.
Marshall Mayor Aaron Haynie called on attendees to carry forth the spirit of remembrance and promise.
"We've honored the fallen, reflected on their sacrifices, and gathered this community to say, 'Thank you,'" Haynie said.
Johnny Casey is the Madison County communities reporter for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Marshall honors Madison veterans for their service and sacrifices
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