JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The mother of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq has helped Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and the adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard lay a red, white and blue wreath to honor military veterans.
Donna Bagwell of Pontotoc said it was a privilege to take part in the ceremony at the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.
More than 200 people gathered Friday for an early service commemorating Veterans Day, which is on Sunday and is observed as a state and federal holiday on Monday.
Bagwell said her son, Marc Lucas Tucker, joined the Marine Corps when he was 23.
“He grew up to be independent. His first phrase was, ’I’ll do it myself.’ Stubborn. Arrogant. It’s all the great markings of a Marine,” she said.
She said he wrote a letter from boot camp saying he loved the Marine Corps and planned to be a “lifer.”
“And he was,” Bagwell said. “It was a short 18 months.”
Tucker was killed June 8, 2005. If he had lived, he would have been 38 on Thursday, the day before the ceremony in Jackson.
About 3,500 Mississippi National Guard members are currently on active duty around the globe, said Major Gen. Janson “Durr” Boyles, the adjutant general.
“Just like the men and women … who have already served their country and who currently serve their country, we understand that we are the currency of freedom, that we volunteer to serve a cause greater than ourselves,” Boyles said.
Bryant praised military members.
“They go to war, realizing the dangers and the sacrifice,” Bryant said. “They do so with honor.”
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