Memorial Day service held at Fairlawn

Comanche was the first of three stops for the Stephens County Honor Guard as they honored the fallen at a Memorial Day service on Monday at Fairlawn Cemetery.

The service featured a brief history of Memorial Day by Dan Mitchell and the playing of Taps and a three-volley gun salute.

Keith Colley, executive director of the Stephens County Historical Society Museum, was the guest speaker at the service.

“We are gathered to not only to remember the fallen heroes who gave their lives in service to our special nation, but also to honor  the legacy of sacrifice that has shaped our freedom,” Colley said. “Among the many symbols of military honor and courage, few are as poignant as the Purple Heart.”

Colley mentioned the history of the Purple Heart dating back to 1782 when Continental Army soldiers for acts of bravery and exceptional servce. The Purple Heart was revived in 1932 after a hiatus of many years and it has been awarded ever since.

“It was been awarded to those wounded or killed in combat, a recognition not of conquest, but of the cost of freedom,” Colley said. “It is a medal no one hopes to earn, but one that carries deep reverence and respect. Here in Stephens County, we are proud to carry that legacy forward. We were honored to become the first county in the state of Oklahoma to receive the Purple Heart county designation and acknowleddgement of our enduring commitment to honoring the men and women who have borne the burden of battle.”

The service also featured the playing of an original song composed by Colley called “Soldiers of Stephens County.” It was the first time the song had been played publicly.

The song is one of several new features that can be found at the Stephens County Historical Socieity Museum. Colley said there is a video that goes along with the song that is available at the museum.

Colley said the museum has had a renovation for the first time since 1974. The military service exhibit was moved from the back to the front of the museum and is now expanded to include six separate displays for wars and conflicts. As well as updated exhibits, new lighting and sound systems have been installed. 

He said a traveling World War I exhibit has been on tour and it has been seen by more than 300,000 people. 

“Every school we’ve gone to, there’s been the most respect,” Colley said. “They ask questions, even the grade schools. They ask questions, but now they’re technical and they’re bringing in their iPads and they’re filming it and making mini movies of it.”

It was during the renovation that Colley got the idea for the song.

“In the process of moving all the stuff from the back of the museum to the front, I got to read an unfortnate amount of stuff that was lost,” Colley said. “You can’t tell every story in the museum, it would take days to go through. So I got to thinking, ‘What can we do to reach enough people through something short and simple?’ And that’s how the song came about. I wanted to make sure we covered all six of the wars. But not only that, I wanted to make sure in the museum we had everything between like skirmishes or something else that we were involved in. The song came from my heart.”

The traveling World War I exhibit will be available through this Saturday at the historical museum. The normal operational hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. but on Thursday the museum will be open until 7 p.m.