Columbia honors its veterans, including Pearl Harbor survivor
This year’s Veterans Picnic had special meaning for William Breland.
The 99-year-old Darbun resident and Pearl Harbor survivor received several honors, including a plaque from the Governor’s Office, a certificate from the U.S. Senate and a citation from the Mississippi Legislature.
After posing for pictures at the Columbia Water Park with his sons, John and Rany Breland, his sister, Nell, and other family and friends, Breland spoke briefly about his experience on Dec. 7, 1941.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you very much,” Breland told the crowd. “I came to meet one person down here and was surprised. One of things that remains in my memory is watching the battleship Arizona sink at Pearl Harbor. It got heavy, tipped up and went down longways. I was about 100 feet from it when it went down. We lost a lot of men there. I was blessed to be here. This is a great honor and I enjoyed it. It was good to see everyone. May the Lord bless you and keep you.”
State Sen. Angela Hill and State Rep. Ken Morgan presented a proclamation signed by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, and Win Ellington from Sen. Thad Cochran’s office spoke briefly on behalf of the senator.
Doug Tyrone of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office told Breland it was a “wonderful honor” to present the citation on behalf of Gov. Phil Bryant.
“Mr. Breland, God bless you for serving our country,” he said. “I’m very humbled to be here with you.”
The presentation kicked off the annual picnic, which drew a huge crowd for all of the events.
Major Gen. James I. Pylant, one of the founders of the Wounded Minutemen of Mississippi, helped open the ceremonies. City and county officials were on hand as a new flag was presented and Taps was sounded as the old flag was retired.
Pylant thanked Mark Retcho for helping organize the event and for donating the picnic proceeds to the Wounded Minutemen.
“We started in 2011, retired Gen. Johnny Sellers and myself. We began with a golf tournament and we decided to give the proceeds to Wounded Minutemen, to Mississippi Veterans. Since that time, we’ve given more than 50 veterans more than $253,000. This provides a big part of that and we appreciate it,” the general said.
Pylant explained that to receive assistance from Wounded Minutemen, a participant must be a Purple Heart recipient (wounded in combat).
“We meet those guys who have applied on our website and we’ve helped them based on their needs,” he said. “Whether they need help with the light bill or whatever. We give our money to the neediest. Next March, if you play golf, sign up for our golf tournament and come play with us.”
Retch told the crowd that the day was for them, for families and veterans to enjoy everything from the entertainment and food to the car show and military vehicles on exhibit.
“Thank you for coming out,” he said. “This is your day to enjoy yourselves and have a great time.”
Pictured Above: | Members of the 155th Armored Combat Team of the Mississippi National Guard bring the state and United States flag to the podium Monday during the annual Veterans Day program on the Marion County courthouse lawn. | Photo by Mark Rogers
