Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Dennis Darrow, left, and American Legion Post 31 Commander Randy Dunson salute each other after Darrow was given an award in appreciation of his 25 years as finance officer for the post.
PORTALES - Monday was to be the 75th consecutive year Portales had celebrated Memorial Day and honored the local soldiers who gave their lives for their fellow citizens. A few inches of rain was not about to stop anybody.
Monday's ceremony at the Portales Cemetery moved a few blocks south, with a makeshift sign letting community members know to head to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3515 instead.
The post, decorated already for a free lunch following the service at the cemetery, ended up pulling double duty for a crowd of around 50.
Organizers were excited for a chance to dedicate a new pavilion, named in honor of former American Legion Post 31 Commander Joe Blair and supported through local donations.
Post 31 Commander Randy Dunson said an off-site dedication, given the circumstances, still felt appropriate.
"We were so excited we were going to dedicate that (Monday)," Dunson said. "God had different plans, and we're really thankful for the rain."
Much of the ceremony honored Blair, a former Portales city clerk and business owner who served in the Navy during World War II. Post 31 is known as Blair-McDermott Post 31, honoring Blair and Carl McDermott, who died during his service in World War I.
"Joe was the face of a veteran in Roosevelt County," Dunson said, before citing numerous examples of Blair's staunch advocacy for local veterans.
Keynote speaker Andy Nazario, Post 31's vice commander, retold the tale of "Star Spangled Banner" author Francis Scott Key and the War of 1812 battle that inspired the tune. What was supposed to be a simple exchange of prisoners of war became a British bombardment of Fort McHenry with Key relaying information to the prisoners of war on the boat.
"The men below the deck asked, 'Is the flag still flying?'" Nazario said. "He said, 'Yes, it is.'"
The next morning, Nazario said, Key was bewildered at how the flag stayed flying throughout the devastating attack, and learned the flag was held up by the bodies of fallen soldiers.
A small tribute for Gold Star Mothers referenced Lila Bryant, who died in January 2020, as the county's last Gold Star Mother. Her son, Jerry Bryant, was killed in 1967 while serving in the Vietnam War.
Dunson said it was his hope the county would never have a Gold Star Mother again.
The ceremony also honored Dennis Darrow for 25 years as the post's finance officer.
Memorial Day's roots are as a holiday called Decoration Day following the Civil War, and the holiday we now know today was given federal designation in 1971. Portales, Dunson said, has recognized the holiday in one form or another for 75 years.
The standard ceremony in 2020 was wiped out by the pandemic and mass gathering restrictions, but Dunson said a small group of representatives still held a low-key ceremony last year at the cemetery.
Dunson closed out Monday's ceremony by noting he didn't have to invite anybody to the VFW post for lunch because they were already there, and that he was thankful the community has veterans organizations that choose cooperation over competition.
