Memorial Day began during the Civil War, as women in the south began to decorate the graves of soldiers with fresh flowers each spring. The practice began to spread and following the war, was adopted throughout the nation.

In the 20th Century the practice, which over the years became known as Decoration Day, was made official by a Congressional Resolution. Following World War II, Decoration Day was made an official holiday known as Memorial Day, when people recognized all those who had fallen or who had served in our armed forces.

Eventually, a law was passed which specified all of the federally recognized holidays and set a specific date for each. Through that legislation, Memorial Day was set for the last Monday of May. It is now one of the most looked forward to holidays of the year and symbolizes not only a day to remember and recognize those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, but as the unofficial beginning of the summer season.

Fairfield Bay’s Memorial Day Ceremony began many years ago, when a short ceremony was held at the Veterans Memorial each year. Five years ago, the Mayor of Fairfield Bay asked the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to start a Memorial Day service to be held at the Veterans Memorial. Thus began the expanded ceremony we hold today.

Three years ago, a hot dog picnic was added to the celebration. Following the services, The Kirk of the Hills Mens Club will be serving hot dogs to all in attendance. Please mark your calendars and plan on being present to help honor our community’s veterans including those who have passed on. Seats will be provided for the veterans and their spouse or significant other. Others in attendance should bring a folding chair.

Questions can be directed to John Foster, American Legion Adjutant, at 253-1073.

In the armed forces of our great nation, each morning at reveille, our flag is hoisted aloft to the top of its staff, as a symbol of our belief in the resurrection of the body. In the evening at retreat, after “Taps” has been sounded, it is lowered and folded in a triangle fold as a tribute to our nation’s honored dead.

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature and our faith in a living God, for it is to Him we turn in times of peace, as well as in times of war.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country in the words of Stephen Decatur, who said, “Our country, may she always be right in dealing with other countries; but right or wrong, she is still our country.”

The sixth fold is where our hearts lie – for it is with our hearts that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through them that our country and our flag is protected against all her enemies, whether they are found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to those who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day. This fold is made in honor of mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, devotion and loyalty that the characters of those great men who helped shape the destiny of this republic were molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he too has given of his son for the defense of our nation. We fold from the stripes toward the stars, for whereas the stripes represent the thirteen original colonies, they are now embodied in the fifty sovereign states represented by the stars.

The eleventh fold is for the eyes of a Hebrew citizen. This represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorify in their eyes, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies in their eyes, God the Eternal Father, His son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.

The thirteenth fold is a reminder to all of us of the sacrifice, suffering and bloodshed by those of the original thirteen colonies who never gave up hope nor courage for the day they would be free from the yoke of tyranny imposed upon them by their mother country.

The flag is now completely folded with the stars upper most, which reminds us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

The flag now takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones. They, followed by their comrades and shipmates down through the years, have preserved for us the rights, privileges and freedoms which we enjoy today.

It is the duty and obligation of every American to uphold, defend and preserve these Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, our flag.

Frank joined the Marines in September, 1940. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Arizona as a security officer, the usual role of Marines on a Navy ship. After his discharge in 1946, he was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, then after retiring from Amoco, he and his wife, Mae, moved to Fairfield Bay where he was active in the community; well-loved and respected by all who knew him. He served as president of a Pearl Harbor Survivors chapter in Arkansas for six years and kept in touch with other survivors of that fateful day.

On December 7, 2001, the 60th anniversary of the bombing, a flag pole was erected at the Fairfield Bay Library to honor Frank Cabiness for his service to our country.

Through a coordinated effort with the Arkansas Department of Correction, Senior Works and Last Chance Arkansas a 3 year old shelter Shiztsu, named Maggie, has been placed at IRV as a therapy dog.

Paws in Prison is a unique program made possible by the Arkansas Department of Correction’s partnerships with Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for animals (CARE) and other animal shelters and advocate groups across the state. Last year, hundreds of homeless dogs were euthanized in animal shelters.

ADC’s partners rescue dogs, which are placed in the Paws in Prison program. Inmates, who have received instruction from professional dog trainers, work with the animals and teach them basic obedience and socialization skills to make them more adoptable.

This program saves the dogs and prepares them for adoption, while providing inmates new skills and opportunities to do something positive for the state while incarcerated.

Camile LaGrossa, representative of Senior Works, spoke during the presentation and said that Senior Works sponsored Maggie and waived the $250 fee normally charged for a therapy dog.

Also attending was Jim Gumm, prison coordinator, and Barb Kampbell, with Last Chance Arkansas. During the presentation IRV residents, Charles (Joe) Dennis sang a couple songs, Mike Willis gave the invocation and Lois Valbracht gave the benediction.

On Wednesday, April 24 we had a very special talk by George Perceval. It was a moving experience. George had lived on Mystic Isle for the last 8 years.

George served for 4 years active duty during the Vietnam War. He retired from Remington Arms and Ammunition Co. after 20 years of service, working in a variety of management positions.

George returned to his home state here in Ark with his wife, Dianne. George joined the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2004 and was a Park Ranger here on Greer’s Ferry Lake.

George’s talk centered on his experience in Vietnam. You may all remember the fierce and almost desperate battle our Marines fought in Khe Sanh from Jan 20 to April 1 in 1968. Here is what the United States President presented as a Unit Citation to the 26th Marines.

These are the words of the Citation: Throughout that period, the 26th Marines was assigned the mission of holding the vital Khe Sanh Combat Base and positions on Hills 881,861-a, 558 and 950, which dominated strategic enemy approach routes into Northern I corps. The 26th Marines was opposed by numerically superior forces-two North Vietnamese Army divisions, strongly reinforced with artillery, tank, anti-aircraft artillery and rocket units The enemy, deployed to take advantage of short lines of communications, rugged mountainous terrain, jungle and adverse weather conditions, was determined to destroy the Khe Sanh Combat Base in conjunction with large scale offensive operations in the two northern provinces of the Republic of Vietnam. Despite overwhelming odds, the 26th Marines remained resolute and determined and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. When monsoon weather greatly reduced air support and compounded the problems of aerial resupply, the men of the 26th Marines stood defiantly firm. Through their indomitable will and resolute courage the 26 the Marines and supporting units held the Khe Sanh Combat Base. The actions of the 26th Marines contributed substantially to the failure of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army winter/spring offensive.

After quoting this Citation, George continued to talk about the incessant fire, the repulsed ground attacks, the lack of proper resupply in food and weapons due to monsoon rains. The expectation of death at any time took the utmost willpower and courage to stand up to the enormous pressure. It was a touching tale and some of us, I for one, had to control my eyes from bursting out into tears; George himself had to pause a number of times, while overcome with the intensity of his memories.

Here I want to add a few of my own thoughts. At the end of the Vietnam War, our soldiers returned home and were greeted with hostility. Our soldiers were shabbily treated. I was furious to witness the behavior of so many Americans. Since I had just obtained my US citizenship, I felt rather strongly about how our American homecoming soldiers were treated. I knew the Nazis and the Communists. We had to act to preserve our freedom.

One of the things we quickly learned about Fairfield Bay when we moved here several years ago was the great volunteer spirit of the community. After about a year we were invited to a Lions Club meeting and have learned that Lions Club International is the world’s largest service club organization with over 1.35 million members and some 46,000 clubs worldwide. Lions are doing community volunteer work, from eyesight programs to youth, environmental and disaster programs in the US and around the world. If belonging to an organization whose motto is “We Serve” sounds appealing to you, the Fairfield Bay Lions would be excited to have you attend one of our monthly meetings, which are held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and our regular meeting and the guest speaker following at 6 p.m. The guest speaker at our next meeting on May 23 will be County Judge and fellow Lion, Roger Hooper, giving us an update on affairs here in Van Buren County. For more information about our next meeting or about joining the Fairfield Bay Lions please contact our membership chair Lion, Mary Meadows @884-6388.

The Fairfield Bay Lions will resume our All-U-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfasts on Saturday May 25 and will continue each Tuesday and Saturday morning from 7:30 – 10 a.m. until Labor Day. Adult meals are $5, youth 6 – 12 are $3 and children 5 and under with a paying adult are free. Meals are all you can eat pancakes, with 2 sausage patties and coffee or milk, or our second meal deal of 2 sausage patties with biscuits and gravy, coffee or milk for the same price. Orange juice, extra milk and sausage are available for a small additional charge.

BINGO is held each Monday evening with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the first game beginning at 7 p.m. On Tuesdays the Lions Den is host to the Mark McCord show, with tickets available at the door. Please come and join us for one of our regular meetings or one of these other special events.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t concentrate on your investment decisions — you should. But if you concentrate too much money in one investment, or one type of investment, you could run into problems.

Suppose, for example, that your portfolio is almost entirely devoted to growth stocks. During a good economy, growth stocks generally tend to do well, so if we’re enjoying a period of sustained growth, your portfolio might show some good returns. But if the economy slumps while you own only growth stocks, you could sustain losses that may take a long time from which to recover. On the other hand, if you over-concentrate on fixed-income investments, such as bonds, your principal value might increase when interest rates are falling (as interest rates and bond prices are inversely related), but when interest rates rise, your bond portfolio will likely lose principal value.

To help avoid the problems of over-concentration, it’s important to own a range of investments, which may include stocks, bonds, government securities and certificates of deposit (CDs). While this type of diversification cannot, by itself, guarantee a profit or protect against loss, it can help reduce the effects of volatility on your portfolio.

Of course, how you choose to allocate your assets will depend on a variety of factors, including the following:

Your goals — Your ultimate objectives should help govern your investment strategy. If you are planning to retire early and then start a new business, you may need to invest more aggressively than, say, your neighbor, who wants to work as long as possible and then stay close to home, pursuing inexpensive hobbies.

Your risk tolerance — Just as we all have different personalities, we have different tolerances for investment risk. If you can assume greater risk in exchange for potentially higher returns, you may be a more aggressive investor. Conversely, if you’re willing to take lower returns as a trade-off for greater protection of your principal, you’re probably a more conservative investor. However, to achieve your goals, you may consider moving outside your investment “comfort zone” from time to time.

Your time horizon — Your stage of life will also affect your investment choices. If you are just starting your career, you can probably afford to invest more aggressively than if you are nearing retirement, at which time you may want to cut down on risks.

To build a diversified portfolio that reflects your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon, you may want to work with a professional financial advisor — someone who can assess your situation and recommend choices that are appropriate for your needs. By concentrating on a unified investment strategy — instead of over-concentrating on a specific type of investment — you can focus on where you want to go and what you need to do to get there.

Mr. Montgomery has been a longtime Instructor of real estate for the Arkansas Real Estate Commission and Arkansas Realtors Association. He owned and operated National School of Real Estate for over 28 years. He also holds the Graduate Realtor’s Institute and Certified Residential Specialist designations as well as Executive Juris Doctorate.

Mr. Montgomery has been a licensed Appraiser, Mortgage Broker and Real Estate Broker. He has served on many Committees and Boards to include the North Pulaski board of Realtors (President 1995 & 2005), Arkansas Realtors Association Board of Directors for 9+ years and currently as Chair of the Professional Standards Committee. He also serves on the Risk Reduction Committee and two of its Task Forces. Mr. Montgomery’s experience in real estate sales and brokerage is a valuable asset to any organization and we are glad to be able to draw from his knowledge base and experience as part of the Brawley & Associates Real Estate Team!

Brawley & Associates Real Estate, 8370 Edgemont Road, Greers Ferry, AR 72067, (501)825-7800.