John Benning Chapter NSDAR members Faye Brock, Florence Harrell and Mickie Hancock record the names listed on the Colquitt County War Memorial in preparation for Taps at Sunset, which will be held at 7 p.m. on Memorial Day.  There are 181 names listed of Colquitt County military service personnel who died in service to the country.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — John Benning Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will be conducting “Taps at Sunset” as the finale of Memorial Day.  The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Colquitt County War Memorial on at the Courthouse Square.  

Friends and families of those who gave their last full measure of devotion in service to our country are invited to gather at the War Memorial to place poppies in memory of the fallen. DAR will provide the poppies.

“There are 181 names of Colquitt County citizens on the War Memorial,” said Nancy Coleman, John Benning chapter regent, “but there are others who died in service to our country who are not listed.  We want to honor as many as we can.”   

According to Coleman, poppies were first used during World War I to commemorate military casualties of the war.  They have since been adopted by the American Legion and other veterans’ groups to honor those who were killed in action.

At the close of the service, Taps, the tradition song played at military funerals, will be performed. Rather than playing the melody on a bugle, as is most common, the DAR has asked Lynn Clark to sing the lyrics.

“We decided to have vocals rather than having it played on the trumpet,” Coleman said. “The words are as moving as the melody.”

For more information, contact DAR at moultriedar@gmail.com.