Families honor, remember loved ones at Fort Jackson National Cemetery
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The Memorial Day Ceremony at Fort Jackson National Cemetery served as an opportunity to pay tribute to South Carolina veterans who have passed. The annual event was held on Memorial Day and featured Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly with the United States Army Training Center and Fort Jackson.
He spoke on the importance of remembering those who served our country ― not just today — but every day.
“We have not forgotten the ‘why’ of this day. As they reflect, I want them to have good memories, I want them to know their loss is not in vain,” he said. “Because the American way of life, the freedoms that we enjoy have been safeguarded by the sacrifice of their loved one.”
Hundreds of family members – many who have traveled from the across the country – joined one another, sharing a common connection.
One of those family members was Brenda Washington Ellison.
She was married to her husband Colonel Frank Ellison for 53 years before he passed in 2022.
Brenda Ellison said Frank Ellison served as a solider fighting to live in Vietnam at 19-years-old.
Brenda Ellison now lives in New York – but travels once a month to visit her husband’s gravesite.
“It’s so important for us to honor those who have protected our country, I’m very proud of him for serving his country,” she said.
Having met at a young age, Brenda Ellison said their relationship grew more beautiful each year. She now looks back and thanks God she was given the right person to embark life’s challenges with.
When looking back at the fond memories her and her husband shared, her favorite dates back to when they were both in high school together.
“When we were in high school he was a football player and I was a majorette. He would shine my boots and keep them white,” she said.
Brenda Ellison said she always brings flowers, cuts them, and places them in a vase by his tombstone.
She said this routine is the best way to keep his memory alive and ensure his place of rest is kept clean and honorable. Brenda Ellison’s sister Juanita said her brother-in-law was like a father to her, someone she could depend on.
“He was someone that you could count on, very loyal, very dependable, very responsible, very giving. He enjoyed giving, not like out of obligation, and I knew he felt that way about his military duty,” Juanita said.
Rick Woodley, another family member, visiting their loved one on Memorial Day explained why this year is special to him.
Multiple generations of his family have served and his father passed away this year. He said celebrating his father’s life and hard work for the freedoms he and his grandchildren get to enjoy is irreplaceable.
“My dad started out here when he was 18-years-old at Camp Jackson then, and he retired here in ‘68, and we lost him this year, just 9 days short of his 98th birthday,” he said. “So, 80 years around he came back and was buried here at Fort Jackson.”
Woodley said it’s special to see his father’s life come full circle and that knowing the sacrifices he made were worth it.
After the ceremony many went to visit the gravesites of their family members – laying flowers and saying prayers. The service on Monday was one of more than 130 ceremonies hosted by the U.S. Department of Veterans affairs at national cemeteries this holiday weekend.
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