Clay County commissioners honor five African American D-Day veterans in ceremony

The Clay County Commission held an honorary ceremony recognizing five African American soldiers who served on D‑Day, the commission said during its meeting. Commissioner Whittington introduced an honorary resolution noting the veterans' service and listing their wartime records.

The resolution, presented as an honorary recognition, names Private First Class Luther Douglas; Private First Class Howell Gunnar Houston; Private First Class George R. Jones; Private First Class Lawrence W. Smith; and Private First Class Ira Hunter as Clay County natives who served during the Normandy invasion. Administrator staff introduced the item before Commissioner Whittington spoke to the commission and guests.

The nut graf: The recognition brought multiple family members and community residents to the podium to describe the veterans' wartime service and subsequent community lives, and to note local efforts to preserve and share their histories.

Tom Degenhardt and the public works discussion that followed were separate agenda items. At the ceremony, Commissioner Jason Whittington said the commemoration was “long overdue” and thanked families for attending. Commissioner Carpenter added, “Those who served that day … deserve recognition throughout the rest of history,” and praised Whittington for bringing the item forward.

Several family members and residents spoke about the veterans. AJ Bird, a Liberty resident, described personal family ties to the men and recalled some veterans’ reluctance to discuss combat. Loretta Strachan, who identified Hal Houston as her father, invited commissioners and the public to view artifacts and photos at the Garrison School Cultural Center Museum and noted that the museum displays material about local veterans. A family member who identified herself as the granddaughter of Private First Class Lawrence W. Smith thanked the commission for recognizing the veterans and urged continued representation of underrepresented groups in local history.

Commissioners paused the meeting briefly to present certificates and take photographs with family members. The transcript records the commissioners and staff arranging whether certificates and photographs should be taken individually or as a group.

The record in the meeting packet identifies the ceremonial item as resolution 2025.176; the transcript includes the reading of the resolution’s “whereas” clauses and references to campaign ribbons and medals assessed in county historical records. The transcript does not record a formal roll‑call vote adopting the text of the resolution, though commissioners proceeded to present certificates and deliver remarks to the families in attendance.

Ending: The commission resumed its regular agenda after the ceremony and moved on to public comments and consent business.