CONTRIBUTED TO
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAGRANGE, GEORGIA — Linda Roper visits her husband Joel’s final resting place every week at Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve. She said she brings flowers and enjoys the peace and quiet surrounded by towering trees and meadows.
She said she is looking forward to the Veterans Day ceremony at 2 p.m. Nov. 11 at Whispering Hills, 3550 Mooty Bridge Road in LaGrange, Georgia. Attendees are asked to arrive by 1:30 p.m. During the ceremony, she will place flowers and a U.S. Army service medallion on Joel’s tribute stone.
“When Joel returned from the war, the dirt from Vietnam still on his boots, he didn’t receive a warm welcome,” Linda said. “Joel had so many people thank him for his service over the years since then, and I know this will be a very special Veterans Day when he is honored with the Army medallion.”
Joel Roper is among seven veterans recently laid to rest at Whispering Hills who will be honored with U.S. military service medallions placed on their gravestones by friends and family. Medallions will be presented to the families of U.S. Army veterans Eddie Joe Floyd of Newnan, Lamar Jackson of Franklin, Leno Olivarez of Columbus and Joel Roper of Pine Mountain, along with Air Force veteran Edwin Everingham of LaGrange, Marine veteran Robert Weeks of LaGrange and Navy veteran John Cosper of Birmingham, Alabama.
All veterans will be honored during a Veterans Day ceremony that is open to the public and will feature patriotic songs, remarks and remembrances, the Troup County High School Air Force ROTC color guard presenting the American flag, a bugler’s rendition of taps and the presentation of service medallions.
“My husband Leno lost some dear friends during the war, but he deeply loved the United States and Veterans Day,” said Deborah Olivarez, whose husband Leno served three years in Vietnam. “He didn’t much like the limelight, but I know he would appreciate being honored on this special day.”
“This will mark our fourth annual Veterans Day ceremony at Whispering Hills, which promises to be a very special and emotional celebration in honor of our men and women in uniform,” said Ralph Howard, founder and managing partner of Whispering Hills. “We are so honored to host such an incredibly moving tribute each year.”
U.S. Army veteran Tania Griffin, who served during Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq and currently serves as a veteran service officer with the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, will speak and share her perspective.
“Veterans Day is such an incredible opportunity to thank everyone who is currently serving and has served in the U.S. military. We also take this cherished moment to remember our veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice and those recently laid to rest at Whispering Hills,” said Griffin.
American patriot and Vietnam War survivor Kay Ying Lo of Franklin, Georgia, who recently laid her husband’s ashes to rest at Whispering Hills, will share her story and thank U.S. veterans, with a particular connection to the men and women who served in Vietnam.
Lo escaped Laos as a young child during the Vietnam War after her father and family helped lead downed and injured American soldiers to safety as “secret warriors” in the battle against the spread of communism.
“As a 7-year-old in the middle of the Vietnam War, I didn’t know the word freedom at all. I just knew I wanted to be with the people I love and able to fall asleep at night instead of waking up to bombs and sirens,” said Lo, who will share her story on Veterans Day at Whispering Hills. “My father was a freedom fighter who supported American soldiers and ultimately did everything he could to get our family to America. As a refugee on the run, I saw the fight for freedom, and I will be there on Veterans Day to say thank you.”
Lo’s home in Franklin is about five miles north of Whispering Hills and a world away from Laos and Vietnam. She lives her life thankful for America, freedom and American veterans.
“No matter where we come from or how much we struggle in life, we are all one. And we will come together on Veterans Day to honor all veterans who made our freedom possible and those who now rest here at Whispering Hills.”
To date, 32 veterans have secured plans for their final resting places at Whispering Hills, while 15 veterans are buried among the towering trees and rolling meadows at the natural cemetery. All will be honored with an American flag on Veterans Day.
For more information about Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve, visit www.whisperinghillspreserve.com or call (706) 884-7435.
