Memorial Day Remembrance and Honor Ceremony

The Memorial Day Remembrance and Honor ceremony at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park on Monday, May 29, saw hundreds gather to pay homage to those who gave their lives to serve their country.

Honored guests included members of the late U.S. Army Spec. Markie T. Sims’ family. Sims was killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 29, 2012.

Upwards of 700 people joined in prayer with Marion County Veterans Council chaplain Michael Kelso. Renee Coventry of the Ocala Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, joined by family members, led the pledge of allegiance to open the ceremony. Music was provided by the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Craig Ham spoke in opening remarks about those who made the “ultimate sacrifice” for their country.

Keynote speaker, former Ocala police chief and retired U.S. Army major Morrey Deen, said, “1 million service members have died since World War II.”

“Those who gave their lives might ask, ‘Was it worth it?’ They would want to know their sacrifice meant something to future generations,” Deen said.

Deen said the country was “built upon the service and commitment of those who serve” and he thanked all veterans. He said he knew Marion County’s only Medal of Honor recipient, Hammett Bowen Jr., who died to save his comrades in battle by hurling himself on a hand grenade.

According to Congressional Medal of Honor Society.org, Staff Sgt. Hammett Lee Bowen Jr., 21, died on June 29, 1969, in Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam. The citation for Bowen’s Medal of Honor states in part, “(an) enemy grenade was thrown amid SSgt. Bowen and three of his men. Sensing the danger to his comrades, SSgt. Bowen shouted a warning to his men and hurled himself on the grenade, absorbing the explosion with his body while saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.”

“(Bowen acted) in an instant and did what he knew was right,” Deen said.

Deen said we must “never forget” the sacrifice of fallen service members and pass the lesson from generation to generation. He also spoke of the “unity” of the country in honoring those who gave their lives in military service.

He challenged those gathered to “reflect on how the sacrifice of our fallen service members has impacted your lives and careers.”

The ceremony included a wreath placement in the center of the park by Shakeli Sims, 29, widow of Markie T. Sims, the couple’s son, Kayden,10, and Shakeli’s mother, Anita Boone.

Boone said her husband, Gary Boone, a Vietnam War veteran, passed away two years after Markie Sims, due to the effects of Agent Orange.

The family members wore red shirts that read, “Remember Specialist Markie T. Sims 12/29/ 2012” and “Man Does Not Die Until He Is Forgotten.”

Markie Sims, 20, died of “wounds caused by an improvised explosive device, which detonated under his vehicle during a route clearance mission in Panjwayi district, Afghanistan,” according to the Jan. 28, 2013, article, “Soldier’s dedication, character remembered,” at Army.mil.

“Sims provided needed and specialized skills and was a valuable member of a brave band of warriors dedicated to making every route movement safer for the International Security Assistance Force, Afghan National Security Forces, and Afghan civilians alike,” the article states.

The article states that Sims, from Citra, “ran track, played football and basketball while attending North Marion High School and later graduated Marion Technical Institute in 2011” and then joined the Army in November 2011.

Shakeli Sims said her husband died before their son Kayden, 10, was born on April 15, 2023. She said she and Kayden “talk about his dad every day.”

Kayden said “yes” he is proud of his father.

Active-duty U.S. Air Force Airman Tyreke Bagley, 22, escorted the family throughout the ceremony.

Lewis Alston, a U.S. Marine Corps and Vietnam War veteran, Purple Heart recipient and member of the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard, led the gathering in the “Veterans Prayer.”

The ceremonial wreath placement included a rifle volley by the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard, two riderless horses and a flyover by members of the Humble Squadron, a group of former military pilots.

A member of the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard played taps and bagpiper John Earl played “Amazing Grace.”

A number of veterans attended the ceremony to pay their respects to fallen comrades, including retired Lt. Ed Million, whose service began in 1948; Joseph McCormick, who served in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1970; and Ralph Mueller, 90, a park volunteer Ken Batzelle, 90, and Carl Vollmer, 94, all Korean War-era veterans. Howard Mautner, 99, a World War II veteran, said his military work was in air traffic control in the Army Air Corps.

Deen presented two certificates during the ceremony for “dedicated service to fellow veterans.” Jeffrey Askew, Director of the Marion County Veterans Service Office, was recognized for his service to the veteran community. The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard was acknowledged for performing about 6,000 military honors funerals at venues including the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. Members of the honor guard at the ceremony included Earl; Alston; John “Moses” Morris, SeaBees; Jack Kiner, USMC; Joseph Dewey, Army; Don Kennedy, Navy; Bruce Hutchinson, Army; Steve Collins, Navy; and Bill Dorsey, veteran of both the Navy and Coast Guard.

Marine Corps veteran Jerry Miller chatted with Vietnam War veteran and Ocala native Jim Gillyard after the ceremony closed. Gillyard, who knew Bowen, imagined the Medal of Honor recipient’s reaction to the Memorial Day ceremony.

“I can see him with a smile on his face, wearing his penny loafers,” Gillyard said.

A monument at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park, placed by AMVETS Post 19 in Fort McCoy, is inscribed: “In Honor of Marion County’s Fallen Heroes Since 2001” and lists: Chad W. Lake, Army, Feb. 2005; Robert Blair, Army, May, 2006; Daniel A. Suplee, Army, Aug., 2006; William Crow Jr., Army, July, 2007; Jason Koutroubas, Army, Oct., 2007; Patrick Malone, USMC, Mar., 2009; Gary Gooch Jr., Army, Nov., 2009; Markie T. Sims, Army, Dec., 2012; Roberto Skelt, Army, Feb.,2014; and Jalisha V. Tucker, Army, Oct., 2016.