MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon marked Memorial Day on Monday with solemn tradition, a parade and a keynote address from retired Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Rhoades.
Rhoades spoke on sacrifice, service, and the nation’s approaching 250th anniversary.
The 30-year Army veteran said Memorial Day is not simply a date on the calendar, but a solemn moment for the nation to pause and remember those who died in service.
“It is also a time to recommit ourselves to living a life worthy of their sacrifice,” he said.
“It asks for quiet remembrance as we honor service members who did not come home, and we recognize that the freedoms we enjoy today were preserved at a staggering cost paid by others.”
Rhoades became an Army aviator in 1993, flew Apache helicopters with the 101st Airborne Division, MYH 6 Little Birds with the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment Airborne, and black Hawk helicopters in the Ohio Army National Guard.
Early in his military service, he wanted challenge and adventure. However, with time and experience, he learned service is not just about what we do or what military occupational specialty have.
“It is always about the people we serve beside and those we have the privilege to lead,” he said.
“Our history was written not by chance. It was defended page by page by ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things.”
Retired Brig. Gen. Stephen Rhoades
He recalled escorting Gold Star families as a young captain, including relatives of soldiers killed in Somalia — names the world came to know by being chronicled in “Black Hawk Down.”
He said that experience taught him that Memorial Day honors not only the fallen, but also the families who live with their absence and “carry a daily burden most of us can barely imagine.”
A call to preserve liberty
As the 250th anniversary of the United States approaches, Rhoades encouraged the community to look back on two-and-a-half centuries of standing as a beacon of achievement and pioneering a legacy of liberty, innovation and progress that changed the world.
“We have overcome immense trials, built an unmatched architecture of freedom, and consistently strived to form a more perfect union. It is a profoundly positive history of triumph and resilience,” he said.
“But as we reflect on everything we have achieved, we must do so with a clear-eyed understanding that none of it was free. Every breakthrough, every era of peace, and every generation of prosperity came with a staggering cost.”
Rhoades, who retired in 2023, charged community members to ensure they never overlook or forget the sacrifice of the fallen.
“We do that by remembering their names, by telling their stories, and by taking care of the people they left behind,” he said.
Air Force veteran Kevin Henthorn, director of the Veterans Services office, served as emcee for the observance.
Gold Gold Star mothers and the local Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter placed traditional ceremonial wreaths.
Knox County AFJROTC cadets accompanied both groups and presented the colors.
The Mount Vernon High School band played patriotic music; MVHS student Matthew Teeples played “Taps.”
Amiah McClure sang the National Anthem, and Bill Neumann and David Byrd played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes. The Knox County JVC Honor guard provided a rifle salute.
U.S. Army veteran George Curry, three bronze stars and Purple Heart recipient from Vietnam, led the Pledge of Allegiance. Pastor Marvin Haught offered opening and closing prayers.
The 2026 parade stepped off at 10:30 a.m. with the theme “Honoring 250 Years of American Heroes.” Ohio Rolling Thunder Chapter 5 served as parade grand marshals.
