Search Jonesboro Yellow Pages

By Curt Hodges

JONESBORO — Grace Missionary Baptist Church will have a special service at 10:45 Sunday morning to honor veterans, but one church member, a veteran of the Korean War, will be singled out for special recognition, Pastor Steven Sewell said.

The pastor said several local, state and national officials have been invited to participate. Thus far, only Jonesboro Mayor Doug Formon has confirmed that he will be able to attend. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel planned to attend but had to change his plans, Sewell said.

“We want to make this a special service to honor all of our veterans and those who are presently serving,” the pastor said.

But the church will have a special honor and recognition for J.P. Chism, who was a Navy corpsman during the Korean War.

Chism served aboard ship as a doctor’s assistant helping to treat and stabilize wounded soldiers who were flown aboard from the battlefields, he said.

“What he did was kind of like a medical triage or a first responder,” the pastor said.

“We want to present him with a plaque in recognition of his service to God and country,” Sewell said. The veteran will also receive a flag flown over the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. “We thought that would be appropriate and significant as he was in the Navy.”

A special ceremony will be held to recognize veterans of all branches of the military, the pastor said. Service flags will be presented, and veterans of the services represented by the flags will gather around them for the recognition ceremony.

The Brookland Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps will post the colors, and Formon will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

There will be patriotic music including “God Bless the USA,” sung by Matt Miller; a women’s trio featuring Peggy Laws, Shana Laws and Cheryl Wallace will sing “The Statue of Liberty.”

As the special music is presented, Sewell said a video tribute to Erich Smallwood, a member of the 875th Engineer Battalion who was killed in Iraq, will be presented.

A special guest and speaker, Navy Commander Chaplain John Sanders of Little Rock, will talk about patriotism and honoring one’s country and its military veterans.

At the end of the service a memorial wreath will be presented along with a video display for fallen soldiers. A sound production of a 21-gun salute will be presented, and Milton Harbison will play “Taps.”

The church has issued a special invitation to all veterans to attend. The pastor said members will be working on special displays, and veterans are asked to bring photographs and other memorabilia of their service to display in the church foyer.

“We want to make this a special service to recognize these special people,” the pastor said.

The public is welcome.

curth@jonesborosun.com