A Patriot Day ceremony was held early Monday morning. Flags and wreath were placed on the courthouse grounds. The guest speaker was Jerry Huggins, former VA officer. Remarks were also made by Jacorie McCall. Special prayer was given by Deputy Ricky Day. More about this ceremony will be in an upcoming issue.

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Former Veterans Affairs Officer was the speaker at the Patriot Day ceremony on Monday.
Below are his remarks about Patriot Day:

Patriot Day 09/11/2017
In remembrance of 09/11/2001
For all Americans, for all time, the phrase “nine-eleven” will evoke a special meaning, ..a memory of a moment in our history when the world as we knew it changed forever.
It is fitting, then, that every year on september 11th americans join together to honor the memory of the more than 3,000 people who died that day.
And it is fitting that we observe a moment of silence as a tribute to those lives cut short, and as a symbol of the empty places left behind in the hearts of those still living.
Today we recall and we celebrate, what we learned about ourselves on 9/11/2001. We remember once again how ordinary human beings reacted with extraordinary heroism when – without warning – and in an instant were thrown face-to-face with the most fundamental questions of human existance.
On that day we saw ordinary people choose duty in the face of death, like the security guards in the trade center who continued to help people get out even as the buildings were collapsing around them.
We saw loyalty to friends overwhelm all sense of danger as the firefighters searched tirelessly for their own.
We saw ordinary people choose self-sacrifice for the good of strangers, like the passengers on the plane over pennsylvania refused to allow the hijackers to succeed in their mission.
We saw ordinary people choosing to spend their final moments expressing their love to their families.
There is a man in New York who has tape-recorded many of those final messages, and he listens to the tapse every day because it is such a pure expression of human love.
Americans will be meeting like this every september 11th, i am sure, to refresh our national memory of what we learned that day in 2001……
Not only that we have enemies in this world who would destroy us if they could, but that the age old virtues **duty/ loyalty/self-sacrifice/love** are still held in the highest regard – …and…..
Still have meaning, and still flourish in the hearts of the ordinary people we live and work with every day.
So today, as we think back on the events of 9/11 from 16 years ago, our sorrow over the loss of so any good people should be tempered by the example shown by so many who died, and the so many that lived. They taught us through their actions that day what it means to be human. They showed us the immutable value of duty, loyalty, self-sacrifice and love. The only way we will triumph over terrorism, and conquer the senseless tragedy of that horrible day, is by celebrating the kindness of the human spirit. Today, as we remember those lost, I ask you to join me,.. In faith .. And pray to god that the good will not only endure, but that they will prevail. Thank you for participating in this ceremony today. May God bless each one of us, and the United States of America. One last note: it is not to late to overcome evil. God is waiting on the fervent prayers of his righteous children to move his hand.
Huggins’ comments on First Responders:
Today, I believe, should also be called First Responder Day
For those who may not know, First Responders are trained volunteers and professionals that are designated to provide immediate expert response in emergency situations. Dillon County residents benefit from the knowledge, skills and dedication of first responders as they work together to ensure prompt responses to a wide variety of natural disasters and domestic emergencies in both urban and rural settings.
This is often done in extreme weather conditions, dangerous terrain, or other harrowing circumstances while we are safe, warm and snug in our homes.
Our First Responders are a vital part of our communities as they risk their own lives and safety to provide these critical services in times of desperate need to others.
At the same time, they fully realize in the back of their mind the risks they face of possibly leaving their families without a Husband/Father or Mother. So, First Responders, on behalf of everyone here, and the citizens of Dillon County, let me say that we love you ,we commend you, and we greatly appreciate the selfless sacrifices ya’ll make and your dedication to serve and protect any and everyone in need.

Jacorie McCall, a student at Dillon High School, spoke at the Patriot Day ceremony on Monday. Here is his speech:

Elie Wiesel stated: “Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” That is why we pay tribute to September 11, 2001.
On this day, 16 years ago our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were moms and dads, friends and neighbors—Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, huge structures collapsing, filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.
All of these individuals we remember here today committed no offense against another nation.
They held no ill will towards others. They were merely going about their daily routine – working hard to provide for their families and to build the life they dreamed of.
I believe that what shocked us the most that morning was not the unthinkably method used to attack us or the scope and magnitude of the attacks.
But that — it was our way of life that was attacked.
Our way of life that embraces freedom and democracy.
Our way of life that rewards hard work and perseverance, and yet encourages selflessness and generosity.
Our way of life that recognizes and respects varying opinions in society, and still preserves the rights of all to express those opinions.
Our way of life that allows us to worship freely and to look differently.
The United States of America remains one of the most desirable places on this planet to live; not for our oceans and plains, not for our mountains and rivers, not for our cars and homes and technology. But for our freedom.
It is said that adversity introduces us to ourselves. This is true of a nation as well. In this trial, we have been reminded and the world has seen that our fellow Americans are generous and kind, resourceful and brave.
And we have seen our national character in eloquent acts of sacrifice: Inside the World Trade Center, one man who could have saved himself stayed until the end and at the side of his friend. A beloved priest died giving the last rites to a firefighter. Two office workers, finding a disabled stranger, carried her down 68 floors to safety. A group of men drove through the night from Dallas to Washington to bring skin graphs for burned victims. In these acts and many others, Americans showed a deep commitment to one another and an abiding love for our country.
Today, we feel what Franklin Roosevelt called, “the warm courage of national unity” This is a unity of every faith and every background. It joined together political parties and both houses of Congress. And this unity against terror is now extending across the world.
America is a nation full of good fortune, with so much to be grateful for, but we are not spared from suffering.
In every generation, the world has produced enemies of human freedom. They have attacked America because we are freedom’s home and defender, and the commitment of our Fathers is now the calling of our time.
On this day of remembrance, we ask Almighty God to watch over our nation. As we’ve been assured, neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities, nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth can separate us from God’s love, God Bless America.