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Smyrna holds Memorial Day ceremony, recalls 10th anniversary of air-show tragedy
Summary
The Town of Smyrna held its annual Memorial Day ceremony featuring an invocation, the national anthem, a keynote address reflecting on the 10th anniversary of the 2016 crash that killed Captain Jeff Koos, a musical tribute from Carpe Artista, a wreath placement, and Taps; the town will release a documentary related to the crash on June 2.
David Santucci, the Town of Smyrna manager, opened the town's annual Memorial Day ceremony with a welcome and program announcements, asking the assembled crowd to observe the day's purpose of honoring men and women who gave their lives in military service.
Chaplain Tim York delivered the invocation, closing with “Amen,” and Daryl Burke led the Pledge of Allegiance. Nancy List performed the national anthem. Following a moment of silence and the retiring of the colors by the Smyrna Fire Department Honor Guard, the presenter announced that the town will release a special documentary on June 2 marking the 10th anniversary of the 2016 aviation crash that killed Captain Jeff Koos.
The ceremony's keynote speaker, introduced in the transcript immediately before his remarks, recounted his experience responding to the 2016 crash and said he used the time to support service members and families. In his address he said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” and urged the community to remember the sacrifices of fallen service members and to preserve liberty and service-minded leadership.
Ron Alley, director of Carpe Artista, performed “Noble Warriors,” a song written by Cindy Ellis and created through a Songwriter Sessions program intended to help veterans coping with post-traumatic stress. The presenter described the program as providing songwriting support to veterans and noted that the program inspired the song performed at the ceremony.
After the musical tribute, the town manager invited members of the Smyrna town council, Commander Daryl Burke, and the keynote guest to assist in placing a wreath at the memorial. Robert K. McElroy, a retired U.S. Army bandsman, played Taps. The town manager thanked participants, invited attendees to a VFW-hosted lunch at 10157 Old Nashville Highway, and closed the ceremony.
The transcript shows inconsistent spellings for some proper names (see note below). Where the transcript alternates, this article follows the instance closest to the associated speaker's introduction and the most frequent spelling in the record.
