PICKENS — American Legion Pickens Post 11 members and members of the community gathered at the Chapel at Hillcrest Cemetery to honor the veterans the county has lost in the past year.

The Post Everlasting Ceremony is an annual tradition of the American Legion, and Zone 1

Commander Phillip Cournoyer said nearly 400 veterans have died in the past year.

“That’s an awful large number,” he said.

During the ceremony, all of the branches of the military were recognized by members of the Pickens High School JROTC program, who solemnly posted the colors of each branch during the ceremony, as Pickens High School musicians played each branch’s official song.

Legion members read aloud the names of recently deceased veterans, then the list of names was carried outside and burned while Chaplain Joe Board led the congregation in prayer.

As the smoke and ashes drift upwards into the sky, the community’s prayers for the veterans are carried up to Heaven — the Post Everlasting, Cournoyer said.

Several years ago, the country was losing its World War II veterans at a rate of 1,000 per day, Cournoyer said.

That number has recently risen to between 1,200 – 1,300 veterans a day, which makes honoring veterans while they’re still with us so importantly.

Cournoyer praised the efforts of a number of organizations, including the American Legion, for the efforts in recording the experiences of locals veterans, in order to preserve them for posterity.

“We don’t want them to pass away before their stories can be recorded,” he said.

Richard Reese spoke about the highly successful Pickens County Honor Flight, which flew World War II veterans at no cost to Washington, D.C. to view the World War II memorial.

This gave many veterans an opportunity to view the memorial commemorating their great deeds in World War II that many may not otherwise have had.

The two flights this year flew nearly 200 local veterans to Washington, D.C., Reese said.

A spring Honor Flight is currently being planned, with flight date and time to be announced, he said.

The American Legion and the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary are struggling to retain members and attract new members, said Pat Ward, State Recording Secretary for the Ladies Auxilary.

She urged Legion members to take every opportunity to educate the community about what the two organizations accomplish for veterans nationwide, urged members and the community to always be vigilant about legislative or government threats to veterans’ benefits, and encouraged the community to show support for veterans often.

“Our appreciation (for veterans) should not be shown on just one day,” Ward said. “Every day should be Appreciation for Veterans Day.”

For more information on the upcoming Honor Flight, contact the American Legion Pickens Post 11.