May 1, 2024 - VFW Post 8904 and Auxiliary members held a Loyalty Day ceremony Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in front of the Shelby County Veterans Memorial.
Larry Hume, Post Quartermaster, opened the program and Post member Mary Roberts offered the opening prayer.
Hume then shared the following, “Some of the holidays we celebrate great Americans, while others recognize great moments in our history. But today is a day called ‘Loyalty Day’ it celebrates everything, from the moment we delivered our Declaration of Independence to the British, to the moment we gathered here this morning.
“Loyalty Day is a celebration of America and everything our country stands for. Loyalty Day asks us to pause for a moment and look back at where we’ve been, and ahead to where we want our nation to go.
“It was originally observed as “Americanization Day” in 1921 and enacted into public law by congress in 1958. Loyalty Day celebrates the legacy of freedom and the shared ideals that bind our great nation together. While initially established to counterbalance the May 1 celebrations of the communist party in the United States, this day has endured as a permanent fixture on our calendar.
“Even as the communist threat has greatly diminished over the years but perhaps is being revitalized, Loyalty Day remains a day worth recognizing, and we can’t think of a group we would rather spend Loyalty Day with than those of you that are here today.
“Today, we must remind others and ourselves that there is no substitute for loyalty, and we must pledge to maintain a free society in which loyalty is respected and encouraged.
“Loyalty Day is a day set aside for the reaffirmation of Loyalty to the United States and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedoms.”
The Pledge of Allegiance was then recited and Sr. Vice Commander Mike Wulf placed the Loyalty Day wreath upon the Shelby County Veterans Memorial.
“Today is not an official holiday, but rather an observance that many are unaware of and would have gone unnoticed in Shelby County, Texas if it were not for those of you gathered here today,” said Hume.
Leigh Porterfield, Center Mayor pro-tem, sang “God Bless America” following the wreath laying.
