News Chaser - Late Breaking,Alerts,& Notifications

Friday, May 18, 2012

Arnie Cade, Woodmen of the World, presents US flag to Patriot Guard Riders of Mississippi for PFC Jimmie Lee Leatherwood, US Army WWII Hero, Wereth Eleven

Arnie Cade, Field Representative with Woodmen of the World in Tupelo Ms, a U.S. Army Veteran, and member of the Patriot Guard Riders, presented a 5x8 U.S. flag, on behalf of WOW Tupelo Lodge 130, to Don McKibben, State Captain with the PGR of Mississippi, which will be presented to the family of a WWII hero, PFC Jimmie Lee Leatherwood, during a service with full Military Honors this coming Saturday at 2pm in Pontotoc, Ms.

Representing Woodmen of the World along with Arnie will be Jamie Hofmister, State Manager Ms North, U.S. Army Veteran, and member of the Patriot Guard Riders.

Memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, May 19th at the College Hill Cemetery, located at the intersection of Hwy 6 and Black Zion Rd. between Pontotoc and Tupelo, Ms. Everyone is invited to come out to pay respect to this fallen soldier and local hero.

For any motorcycle riders that are interested in being a part of the Patriot Guard Riders escort, staging will be at the Shell Station on Hwy 15 across from Walmart just off Hwy 278 at 12:45 pm, KSU at 1pm. Ceremony starts at 2pm. All riders will be welcome to participate with us to honor this hero.

For Release:
>The Patriot Guard Riders have been invited to participate in a memorial service for a World War II veteran that was with the 333rd Artillery Battalion in the Battle of the Bulge. PFC Jimmie Lee Leatherwood was killed in action on December 17th, 1944 and buried in Pontotoc in 1947 after the family members had been located.

PFC Leatherwood is one of the 11 soldiers that the documentary movie (The Wereth Eleven) was made about. He has been buried here without any military funeral or gravestone. A Battle of the Bulge Chapter in Massachusetts had purchased a memorial marker for PFC Leatherwood and it has been placed at this time. His surviving relatives lost all of his medals in a house fire years ago and replacement medals are being presented to them at this service. Attending will be several congressmen and the MS State Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Augustus Collins.<

Photo L-R: Arnie Cade, Don McKibben

Photo: Arnie Cade

Woodmen of the World - Tupelo Office / Arnie Cade - Field Representative

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Pontotoc County seeking to honor black WWII soldier

by David Helms/The Pontotoc Progress

Sixty-seven years after Army Pfc Jimmy Lee Leatherwood and 10 other black U.S. soldiers were tortured and murdered by German SS troops, Pontotoc County residents are hoping to erect a service monument in recognition of maybe the only African-American soldier from Pontotoc County to have been killed in World War II.

Leatherwood’s daughter, 68-year-old Jimmie Mae Leatherwood Taylor, met with members of the Pontotoc County Historical Society and Bill Wardlaw, Pontotoc County Veterans Service Officer, last Friday and verified that her father was buried in College Hill Cemetery, about eight miles east of Pontotoc.

According to the November 20, 1947, edition of The Pontotoc Progress, Jimmy Lee Leatherwood was buried in College Hill Cemetery on Sunday, November 16, 1947.

However, earlier efforts to locate his grave site were unsuccessful because no headstone was ever erected.

Jimmie Mae Leatherwood Taylor, who now lives in Tupelo, walked the grounds of the 137-year-old cemetery with the group last week and showed the proximity of where her daddy was buried.

“The historical society is honored to play a small part in locating Mr. Leatherwood’s resting place and to help tell his story and ultimate sacrifice along with countless others in World War II ,” said Martha Jo Coleman, secretary for the Pontotoc County Historical Society.

Coleman said the historical society voted Saturday to erect a memorial service monument at the cemetery honoring Leatherwood.

“We’re working with the Leatherwood family in finalizing plans for the monument and hope to have it in place soon,” Coleman said.

Jimmy Lee Leatherwood was born March 16, 1920, in Tippah County, but shortly thereafter his family moved to the College Hill Community in Pontotoc County where he was raised, his daughter said.

Leatherwood was inducted into the U.S. Army in March 1942 and was assigned to the all-black 333rd Field Artillery Battalion.

The 333rd Battalion landed at Utah Beach on June 29,1944 as part of the Normandy Invasion.

On December 16,1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, the German Army began shelling the village of Schonberg, Belgium and Leatherwood’s unit was overrun.

Leatherwood and 10 other black soldiers eluded capture and walked 10 miles through the deep snow in hopes of reaching American lines.

On the afternoon of December 17 the exhausted soldiers reached the rural hamlet of Wereth, Belgium, where a farm family tried to hide them.

But a short time later a Nazi sympathizer notified German SS troops that American soldiers were hiding in the house, which belonged to the Mathius Langer family.

When the German soldiers arrived, the Americans, armed with only two rifles between them, surrendered.

The 11 soldiers were marched down the road to a ditch where they were maimed, shot and mutilated by the German soldiers.

Afraid of the German soldiers, the villagers did not touch the dead American soldiers, whose bodies were covered by snow.

In January when American troops retook Wereth, villagers directed U.S. troops to the site of the murdered soldiers.

Seven of the soldiers remain buried in the American Cemetery at Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, but after the war the bodies of Leatherwood and three others were returned to their families for burial.

“The Wereth Eleven,” a 60-minute film docudrama which chronicles the capture, torture and killing of the 11 black soldiers was released in 2011.

The film, written and directed by Rob Child and produced by Joseph Small, was honored with the Founder’s Choice Award at the 2011 GI Film Festival in Washington.

Genealogist Steve Cole, a native of Leflore County who now lives in Collierville, TN, became intrigued by the “Wereth Eleven,” and initiated the search for Leatherwood’s grave site more than seven months ago.

When he could not find the grave, Cole turned to the historical society for assistance.

“ I thought it would be easy, but it didn’t turn out that way at all, but now it’s going to have a successful ending and I’m really happy for the Leatherwood family,” Cole said.

Cole said the “Wereth Eleven” filmmakers have commissioned a special showing of the film at the Pontotoc County Library on Tuesday night, February 21, beginning at 7 p.m.

Jimmy Mae Leatherwood Taylor, whose son Steve lives in Amory, said she’s thankful for the efforts to memorialize her father.

Taylor said her father’s Purple Heart Medal was lost years ago when her purse was stolen.

Sadly, she said that a replacement Purple Heart Medal (along with other medals) was lost when a fire destroyed her apartment in 2000.

She said the few pictures she had of her father were also lost in the fire.

Bill Wardlaw said his office is going through the proper channels to see if replacement medals can be awarded.

Wardlaw said he has also contacted the Army Archives to see if any photographs of Pfc Leatherwood can be found.

Read more: djournal.com

Friday, April 27, 2012

Woodmen of the World - Arnie Cade, Field Representative (662)255-2656 - Camp Woodmen - Tupelo Lodge 130 MS

WOODMEN OF THE WORLD – SUMMER CAMP!

Registration Time Is Here...

MISSISSIPPI NORTH

For over 60 years Woodmen of the World has owned and operated youth camps for its youth members ages 8-15. Our camp is located just north of Ackerman, Ms. For a small registration fee your child can enjoy... all the fun and activities they can stand during our week long summer camp, which is American Camp Association (ACA) approved.

The activities include:
SWIMMING POOL, ARCHERY RANGE, HIKING, PLAYGROUND, CAMPFIRES, ARTS & CRAFTS, MINIATURE GOLF, SOFTBALL, RIFLE RANGE, CONFIDENCE COURSE, VOLLEYBALL, and TALENT SHOW.

North MS Woodmen of the World has been providing youth members a place where they can explore land and discover exciting things about themselves and others in an outdoor enviroment. Our week long sessions are for boys and girls. ALL of our activities are supervised by our adult counselors and staff. Campers do not need to bring money or food with them.

DON'T MISS THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR CHILDREN BECAUSE SPACE IS LIMITED. MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY! Find out how your child can become a member of Woodmen of the World and attend our ACA approved summer camp.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Arnie Cade, Field Representative, Woodmen of the World

- (Cell) 662-255-2656 or (Office) 662-269-3907

- Email: wacade@woodmen.org

SEE LINK FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS:Woodmen of the World Youth Summer Camp

See More

— with Tupelo Lodge at Woodmen of the World - Tupelo Office / Arnie Cade - Field Representative.

Woodmen of the World - Tupelo Lodge 130

Thursday, April 26, 2012

THE BEEHIVE REVISITED - Bro. P.D. Newman, 32° - Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM

THE BEEHIVE REVISITED - Bro. P.D. Newman, 32°

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THE BEEHIVE REVISITED

Bro. P.D. Newman, 32°

Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM

Valley of Corinth, Orient of MS

The [larva] of a bee is scarcely worthy to be called a life, but after it is transmuted by death, it appears in a more excellent and glorious condition…[1]

The beehive, like the honey which it houses, is a fecund symbol, both rich and enduring. In my previous treatment of this subject[2], I provided a decidedly limited overview of the symbol of the beehive and its cognates, bees and honey, as they were understood in the mythologies and folklores of various cultures. In the present treatment, I will be exploring the possible significance of the symbol as it most readily relates to the actual arcana of Freemasonry, i.e., as an emblem of resurrection and of the immortality of the soul. For this we need but make a return to the remnants of ancient Greece and the neighboring shores of the Mediterranean where, according to scholars[3], the symbol of the bee and its correlating hive were popular objects of worship and veneration, serving as the bridge between this world and that of the hereafter.

If the reader will recall, in The Beehive: A Migration of Myth I touched upon Ovid’s account of the youthful shepherd Aristaeus and the tragic loss and miraculous, resurrection-like restoration of his cherished beehives. However, in Virgil’s version of the same story, we learn that the initial misfortune which was visited upon Aristaeus was not simply a random act of fate, but was actually orchestrated by the hero-poet Orpheus. But, before we get to that, it will be helpful to first explain a little bit about the colorful figure of Orpheus and, by extension, some of what it is that his corresponding Mysteries entailed.

According to Greek myth, Orpheus was the son of Calliope[4], the muse of epic poetry, and Apollo[5], the god of music. As the offspring of these two deities, Orpheus was destined for a fame and charisma that could charm even the Lord of the Hades. Indeed, for this is precisely what he did when, armed only with his voice and his lyre, he descended into the Underworld for the purpose of persuading the god Pluto, Lord of Hades, to consent to the return of Orpheus’ deceased wife Eurydice to the realm of the living. And it is here that we come back to our unfortunate beekeeper Aristaeus, whose romantic advances Eurydice was fleeing when she ran upon the fatal serpent, the sting of which was to prematurely end her life and land her in the subterranean Hades. It was in retribution for this fact that Orpheus destroyed Aristaeus’ beloved hives.

Ill. Bro. Albert G. Mackey once said that “the intention of the ceremonies of initiation into [the Mysteries] was, by a scenic representation of death, and subsequent restoration to life, to impress the great truths of the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the soul.” It was with the above narrative of Eurydice’s death and subsequent resurrection that the Orphic priests indoctrinated the participants in their Mysteries regarding the truth of the soul’s immortality, and the possibility of its resurrection into the realm of the living. Both Aristaeus and Orpheus, the latter for only a short time, were in the end reunited with that of which they had previously mourned the loss. In Orpheus’ case, it was his beloved wife Eurydice who was restored to life, and in that of Aristaeus, his cherished beehives.

According to Apollodorus, Orpheus was also said to have been responsible for creating the Dionysian Mysteries. As a type of what Sir J.G. Frazer called the dying god, i.e., a deity whose tragic death is followed by his miraculous resurrection, Dionysus, with his corresponding Mysteries, also taught the truth of the immortality of the soul. Like his father Zeus, as an infant Dionysus is said to have been tended by the Meliai, a sisterhood of bee-like nymphs associated with the ash tree, who fed him on a diet solely of honey, instead of milk. A god of wine and resurrection, Dionysus was frequently depicted as a swarm of honey bees. Greek scholar Károly Kerényi postulated that the association between bees and resurrection in the figure of Dionysus stemmed most likely from the ancient sacramental use of mead, an alcoholic honey drink that was fermented in great subterranean vats, whose use as an entheogen preceded the discovery of the intoxicating potential of the Dionysian vine.

Similarly, Dionysus’ brother and more ‘civilized’ counterpart Apollo who, if the reader will recall, was also the father of talented Orpheus, too was frequently associated with the hive. For it is said that Apollo’s prophetic ability was the gift of the Thiai who, like the Meliai of Zeus and Dionysus, were a bee-like sisterhood of goddess-nymphs. Additionally, in his manifestation as the solar Phoebus, Apollo could also be considered a dying and resurrecting god, although his myth does not specifically hymn him as such. On the other hand, according to the Greek epic poet Nonnus of Panopolis, Apollo was responsible for the resurrection of his close companion Hyacinth, whom Apollo fatally wounded, though an accident. So, although Apollo himself was not known to have been venerated as a dying god, he bears connotations to the motif of resurrection nonetheless. Further associations of Apollo with the hive could be found at Apollo’s famous Oracle at Delphi, where the curious Omphalos or Navel Stone, a beehive-shaped stone covered with a representation of knotted net-work which is suggestive of stylized bees, was housed. Leicester Holland associated the Omphalos with the Oracle at Delphi’s ability to prophecy, proposing that it served to channel the intoxicating, chthonic vapors from the very Underworld itself which would impel the Oracle to ejaculate the strange utterances for which she was so famous. Tended to by a wholly masculine priesthood, the prophetic Oracle at Delphi was regarded as “Queen Bee” in her hive of otherwise all-male workers – an arrangement that hearkened back to a time when the people which inhabited what would come to be known as Greece were still one of matrilineality and goddess worship – which brings us to our closing discussion regarding the relationship of the beehive to the motif of resurrection.

Carl A.P. Ruck, the professor of Classics at Boston University, and Daniel Staples, Ph.D. observed in their The World of Classical Myth that at what was once Mycenae in present day Greece can still be seen standing, for the most part intact, the well-preserved remains of the famous Lion Gate, an arching gateway topped with a detailed carving of two lions flanking a single pillar, the same of which serves as the city’s sole entrance. A short distance from this Lion Gate, we are told, can be found the so-called Grave Circle. According to the authors:

“Beyond the [Lion] Gate to the right lies the Grave Circle, a cemetery within the city, where the dead were buried at the bottom of deep shafts…where the corpses were laid temporarily to rest in state, until they rotted, on a bier in grand subterranean vaulted chambers within the characteristic domed shape of a beehive, the…Tholos Tombs. These…tombs imply a belief in the regenerative transition through death, since they were reused over and over again for successive burials…[6]”

What Prof. Ruck & Dr. Staples rightly observe is that the ceremonial removal of the deceased from the womb-like, beehive structure following the body’s decomposition would naturally lend itself, if that in fact was not already the idea intended, to the notion of a deathly transmutation – as well as a seemingly miraculous resurrection, when it was discovered by the survivors of the deceased that the remains had mysteriously disappeared from the tomb, perhaps unbeknownst to any but the priests who had tended them. And even in tombs which are seemingly in no way associated with this manner of bee worship, there are still commonly found during archaeological excavations small, golden amulets depicting the bee-like Thiai sisterhood, whose task it is thus believed was to transport the souls of the dead to the next life, implying a direct connection within the minds of the ancient Greeks between the symbol of the beehive and their belief in the immortality of the soul.

In closing, I would like to share with the reader a quote from English cleric and scholar Samuel Purchas, who noted so perfectly the relationship between the beehive, deathly transmutation, and miraculous resurrection when he wrote:

“The [larva of the bee] lies dead and entombed in the cell wherein it was bred; but wait with patience a score of days, and you shall see it revive, and appeares a farre more noble creature than it was before. What is this, but an emblem of the resurrection?”

REFERENCES

Apollodorus. The Library

Bullamore, Geo. W. The Bee and Freemasonry

Frazer, J.G. The Golden Bough

http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/grandlodge.html (Freemasonry and Bees)

Holland, Leicester. The Mantic Mechanism at Delphi

http://beelore.com/

Hunt, Charles Clyde. Masonic Symbolism

Kerényi , Károly. The Religion of the Greeks and Romans

Mackey, Albert G. The Symbolism of Freemasonry

Meyer, Marvin W. The Ancient Mysteries

Newman, P.D.The Beehive: A Migration of Myth

Ransome, Hilda M. The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore

Ruck, Carl A.P. The World of Classical Myth

The Homeric Hymn to Apollo

Virgil. Goergics

[1] -- Samuel Purchas

[2] The Beehive: A Migration of Myth, originally published in The Working Tools Magazine, No. 49 (Feb., 2012)

[3] See The World of Classical Myth by Carl A.P. Ruck and Danny Staples.

[4] Note that the emblems associated with Calliope are the stylus and beeswax tablet, the latter of which is directly suggestive of the bee and its cognates.

[5] Note that Apollo is also said to have been the deity of colonization, a concept of great importance where the art of beekeeping is concerned.

[6] Carl A.P. Ruck & Danny Staples’ The World of Classical Myth, p. 24-5

This article can be found in the upcoming, May 2012, issue of "The Working Tools Masonic Magazine", where this content will be published.

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Note: Please read " Blog Participation Requested - Announcement - Education", which explains and describes the purpose of this series of topics. This post does not make a statement "for" the following content and does not make claim that it has a direct relation to Freemasonry. It is for educational purposes only!

Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM
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©2011 All Rights Reserved TupeloMason®

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Brother Christopher Alan Lewison - Master Mason - Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM

Brother Christopher Alan Lewison - Master Mason

Originally Posted: Sunday, April 22, 2012

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04/16/2012 - Brother Christopher Alan Lewison was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason at Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM in Tupelo, Ms. Bro Lewison was presented wth his Apron, Holy Bible, and Grand Master lapel pin following his degree. Congratulations to Bro Lewison for his dedication to the craft and completion of his third degree. Our hope is that this night will be just the beginning of his journey and that he will preserve the true principals of Freemasonry, just as our forefathers before us.

Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM
*HOME - http://www.tupelomason.org/
*BLOG - http://tupelomason.blogspot.com/
*PHOTOS - http://tupelomason.shutterfly.com/
©2011 All Rights Reserved TupeloMason®

Friday, March 9, 2012

Bro John Paul Gomez, Senior Deacon, Doric Lodge No. 316 A.F.& A.M. - FraternalTies

Originally posted: by TupeloMason® onTuesday, March 6, 2012

Bro John Paul Gomez, Senior Deacon, Doric Lodge No. 316 A.F.& A.M. - FraternalTies

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The following article was
submitted to our blog, TupeloMason, at our request by a brother in
Canada, which designed the official seal, (pictured above), for Tupelo
Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM, which has been implemented on all of
our various social networking sites to include TupeloMason on Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed, Shutterfly, MySpace, and LinkedIn. You are invited to join us ony any of these forums
that you personally utilize.

We would like for you to personally get to know the
brother that is responsible for this remarkable work and hope that you will take
the time to show your appreciation by saying, "Thank
You!".

You have probably seen the comical photgraph attached
below, "What others think I do...", floating around the internet and I must take
the liberty to personally introduce you to the designer,
himself.

On behalf of Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM, we would like to
express our sincere regards to Bro Gomez and Fraternal Ties for his
hard work and attention to detail.

Fraternally,
TupeloMason

-----

John Paul
Gomez, Senior Deacon, Doric
Lodge No. 316 A.F.&
A.M.

First of all I would like to
thank Bro. Arnie Cade for giving me the wonderful opportunity to be featured in
Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 blog. I have never written an article about myself
before so please bear with me if this is going to be a somewhat of a boring
piece.

My Masonic journey began
in my early teens when I joined the International Order of DeMolay in the
Philippines. I moved to Toronto, Canada in 2004 and it was here in this country
that adopted me where I became a Freemason. I was Initiated into the Craft at
Doric Lodge No. 316 A.F. & A.M., Thornhill, Canada on June 26, 2008. I was
Passed on November 11, 2008, and Raised on April 29, 2009.

There where two of us who
got Initiated on the same day. He was also a DeMolay and also hails from the
Philippines. As far as I know, we are the first Filipinos to ever join Doric
Lodge No. 316. As somebody who comes from a country with a long history of
colonial rule, the idea of intermingling with people outside of my ethnic group caused me
anxiety. And so I was very nervous when I first stepped in the Lodge for the
ceremony of my Initiation. This feeling of tension immediately dissolved when I
realized that though no one there are Filipinos but the two us- the members,
officers, and visitors present all came from different parts of the world, have
different cultures, different backgrounds, different belief system, etc, etc. On
that same day, I experienced the warmth of Brotherhood and laughed at myself for
feeling anxious in the first place.
I used to work as a
computer specialist for Fidelity Investments but lost my job when the company
decided to outsource the services that my department provides. I then worked as
a web coordinator for a big retail clothing company based here in Canada but I
resigned after a few months due to personal reasons. I am now happy with my
position as a stay-at-home dad for my lovely wife Rechelle and wonderful kids-
Chienna (11yrs old) and Jachin (2yrs old). To supplement our family income, I
design and sell Masonic neckties on my website http://www.fraternalties.com/.
What I earn from
that website is not enough to equal what an average worker earns in a month and
for that I am eternally grateful to my hardworking wife for maintaining a
regular job. I also maintain a blog on that same website where I regularly post
my Masonic artworks such as this one below.

This piece is composed of
a number of sacred geometry and Masonic imagery. The Greek encryption when
translated reads "Let none ignorant of geometry enter here."- words inscribed by
Plato above the entrance to his famous school. Two of the biggest graphic
elements in this artwork are the Flower of Life and the wings of Ahura Mazda-
considered by the earliest civilizations in West Asia as the god of wisdom,
intelligence, and harmony. Furthermore, the word
Ahura means light and Mazda means wisdom. The other graphic elements that you
can see here are the working tools, the sun and the moon, the pillars, the
ashlars, the five platonic solids, the point within a circle, sprig of acacia,
crossbones, Square and Compasses, the pentagram and the pig pen cypher- all
important symbols in their own right but to discuss each of them here would take
several pages. But if you want to discuss, please follow this link https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150976159720344&l=9222f108cc.

Not all of my work deal
with serious stuff. I also enjoy the tongue-in-cheek approach when producing
art. One of my creations have gone viral within minutes of uploading
it.

The positive feedback
from the Brethren and the public alike are very encouraging and have given me a
new found love in mixed media arts. When speaking in person, I sometimes experience
difficulty in explaining my complete thought. But Freemasonry and art have
helped me to reach out and connect to people around the globe and be understood.
For that I am forever thankful.

Sincerely &
Fraternally,

John Paul
Gomez
Senior Deacon, Doric Lodge No. 316 A.F &
A.M.

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"One
man is equivalent to all Creation, One man is a world in miniature."

~ Albert Pike

Fraternal Ties

"The Tie That Binds"

Tupelo Masonic
Lodge No. 318 F&AM
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Saturday, February 18, 2012

U.S. Flag presented to the Patriot Guard Riders of the Mid South by Arnie Cade, Field Representative, Woodmen of the World, Tupelo Ms

Arnie Cade, Field Representative with Woodmen of the World mad a formal presentation of the U.S. Flag to the Patriot Guard Riders of the Mid South. The PGR is a national nonprofit organization that provides support to the families of fallen U.S. Military and provide a motorcycle escort and provode security during the transport of their body, funeral services and graveside. Arnie, a verteran of the US Army represented Woodmen of the World during a recent ride with the PGR and afterwards, presented Don McKibben and James Henely, representing the PGR with a US flag to be used in their "Flag Lines" formed as a symbol of honor and respect for the fallen service member.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sgt. 1st Class Billy A. Sutton, US Army died Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, in Afghanistan

Obituaries February 16, 2012

by NEMS Daily Journal

Sgt. 1st Class Billy A. Sutton

MOOREVILLE – Sgt. 1st Class Billy Albert “Bill” Sutton, 42, died Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, in Afghanistan while actively serving his country in the U. S. Army National Guard. Sgt. Sutton was born in Milton, Fla., on June 8, l969, to Jerry Lee Sutton and Jo Ann Owens Sutton Starling. He grew up in the Baldwyn area and graduated from Baldwyn High School in 1987. He earned an associate’s degree from Northeast Mississippi Community College and served four years with the U. S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division. By trade, he was an electrical technician and was last employed by Flexible Foam.

Sgt. Sutton continued his patriotic devotion to the service of his nation by joining the Mississippi National Guard on Sept. 5, 2002. At the time of his death, he was fulfilling his third tour of duty, the first two in Iraq and the final tour in Afghanistan. Sgt. Sutton was a platoon leader with the 288th Sapper Company out of Houston. A patriotic American, he was a respected and courageous military leader who always put his men before himself.

In civilian life, he was an avid duck hunter and raised and trained labs for duck hunting. He cherished his special dog of long standing, Jack. He was a music lover and a fan of all things Elvis. He was a master sharpshooter and treasured his many guns. He was a member of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church near Baldwyn. A grateful nation expresses gratitude for his selfless service and joins his family in mourning his death.

A life celebration, with full military honors, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, at the Tupelo Chapel of Holland Funeral Directors with Mississippi Adjutant General Leon Collins and Mississippi Baptist Convention president, Dr. David Hamilton, officiating. Entombment will be in the Hope Mausoleum at Lee Memorial Park in Verona. Holland Funeral Directors is honored to have been entrusted with arrangements.

His loving family includes his wife, Traci Durham Sutton of Mooreville, whom he married Nov. 6, 1998; his son, Tyler Durham of the home; his mother, Jo Ann Owen Sutton Starling (Elvis) of Baldwyn; his in-laws, Dan and Jennifer Loden Durham of Tupelo; his grandfather in law, Homer Loden of Tupelo; a brother, Danny Sutton of Milton, Fla.; two half brothers, Vance Sutton of St. Amant, La., and Aaron Starling of Corinth; three half sisters, Adrian Starling of Baldwyn, Erica Culver of Odenville, Ala., and Cindy Starling of Baldwyn.

Pallbearers will be members of the Honor Guard from the Mississippi Army National Guard. Honorary pallbearers will be the 288th Sapper Company members still serving in Afghanistan.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, at the Tupelo Chapel of Holland Funeral Directors and from 10 a.m. to service time on Saturday.

Memorials may be made to the Tupelo Veterans Park, P.O. Box 3608, Tupelo, MS 38803; or to Pets for Patriots, 218 E. Park Ave., Suite 543, Long Beach, NY. 11561.

Condolences may be emailed to hollandfuneraldirectors@comcast.net.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Arnie Cade, Woodmen of the World - Tupelo Ms. - US Flag - Patriot Guard Riders of the Mid South

Arnie Cade, Field Representative, with Woodmen of the World in Tupelo Ms, made a formal presentation of the U.S. Flag on behalf of WOW Tupelo Lodge 130 as part of a Community Service Outreach Project, to the Patriot Guard Riders of the Mid South.

Woodmen of the World is a Fraternal, Nonprofit, Benefits Society that provides Financial Security and Insurance Protection to members throughout the United States.

The PGR is a nonprofit organization, composed of bikers across the U.S. that receive the bodies of U.S. Soldiers and provide a motorcycle Honor Guard Escort from the airport, to the funeral home, and afterwards, the cemetary, where the fallen hero is laid to rest. You can read more on the PGR below... also, local contacts for the Commanders of the PGR in the Mid South (Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, Louisianna, or Florida), are listed if you are interested in obtaining additional information or joining.

Jim (James) Henely, Commander - NE Ms Patriot Guard Riders

Don McKibben, Commander - NW Ms Patriot Guard Riders

Photo L-R: Arnie Cade, Don McKibben

Arnie Cade

Patriot Guard Rider - Honor Guard Mission

Patriot Guard Riders Mission Statement

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives:

Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.
Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.

To those of you who are currently serving and fighting for the freedoms of others, at home and abroad, please know that we are backing you. We honor and support you with every mission we carry out, and we are praying for a safe return home for all.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Bro Christopher Michael Reid - Named "Mason of the Year" by The Grand Lodge of Mississippi

Originally Posted: 02/14/2012 @ TupeloMason.Blogspot.com

Bro Christopher Michael Reid - Named "Mason of the Year"

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On behalf of Tupelo Masonic Lodge No. 318 F&AM, we would like to congratulate Bro Christopher Michael Reid for being named as "Mason of the Year" by the Grand Lodge of Mississippi.

Chris has been instrumental in the success of numerous projects over the years and has dedicated his life to promoting Freemasonry in Mississippi and serving as an example of a true "Mason" to people everywhere.

This honor which has been bestowed upon him symbolizes everything that Freemasonry stands for and a truly deserving brother has now entered into the ranks of all those brethren that were recognized before him.

Thank you Chris for your service, loyalty, and dedication to the fraternity and your passion for the craft.