Captain Jon Pridgeon will be the guest speaker for the Veterans Day Program on November 11 at 11 a.m. The program will be held at Oswalt Park in Vicksburg, sponsored by the Village of Vicksburg and VFW Post 5189. Previously Capt. Pridgeon flew Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers in the 74th Air Refueling Squadron at Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana. He has flown sorties supporting Operation Enduring Freedom; Operation Iraqi Freedom; and Operation Inherent Resolve.
Currently Capt. Pridgeon is assigned to the 110th Air Wing in Battle Creek. His civilian status is flying Boeing 737 passenger planes with Delta Airlines. He resides in Schoolcraft with his wife and son. His wife Kenzi was the guest speaker on Memorial Day in 2016 for the VFW. She is the daughter of Jan and Denny McNally of Schoolcraft.
Each year the 4th graders at Sunset Lake Elementary walk to Oswalt Park and when the Star Spangled Banner is played they sign it instead of sing the national anthem as they have learned how to do this in class.
Boy Scouts of Troop 251 present the colors of each armed forces unit to the strains of each unit’s fight song. The morning observance ends with Taps, played by a student from the high school band. Then the members of VFW Post 5189 fire three volleys in honor of the fallen soldiers.