Countless Wilcox County men and women have served honorably in nation's many conflicts

Wilcox County Veterans Monument

Tomorrow (Friday) will be Veterans Day, the U.S. federal holiday observed each year on Nov. 11 to honor all military veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

The reason that Veterans Day is observed on Nov. 11 is because it was once known as Armistice Day, which marked the anniversary of the end of World War I. That war famously ended at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany took effect. Armistice Day was officially renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Wilcox County was hit especially hard by World War I. As best that I can tell from state records, at least 26 Wilcox County soldiers were killed during World War I. Those soldiers include Charley Blackman, William Boykin, William Dumas, William Kelsaw, William Reaves, Harry I. Savage, Howard Singleton and James Williams, all of Camden; Henry M. Autrey, Vivian T. Deaton and Jenkins Jones, all of Sunny South; Oscar L. Autrey, Henry C. Boutwell and Charles E. Treaster, all of Pine Hill; Jimmie A. James and Willie Gay Williams, both of Furman; John Henry Privett and Fletcher E. Smith, both of Lower Peach Tree; John Caffey Watson and Wiley McMurphy Steen, both of Pine Apple; Frank C. Brooks of Coy, Fred Battle of Gastonburg, John Butler of Snow Hill, Daniel Robinson of Prairie, Frank Stallworth of Bellview, and Samuel C. Watford of Caledonia.

The official end of WWI on Nov. 11, 1918 resulted in one of the biggest celebrations in Wilcox County history. According to the Nov. 14, 1918 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era, the news of the war’s end did not take long to reach the citizens of Wilcox County.

“When the citizenship of Camden arose on Monday morning, they were greeted with the glorious news that Germany had ‘surrendered unconditionally’ and the greatest war that had ever been was closed. Prayers went up in thankfulness to the Almighty that right had triumphed, and this world would not be under the dominion of the warlords, but was safe for Democracy. Mothers, who had sons whose bones rest on French soil, gave vent to their feelings; and while their hearts were bursting with grief, their bosoms swelled with pride that they had given their lives in so great a cause.”

Wilcox County citizens were so happy that the war was finally over that one of the biggest celebrations in the history of the county ensued.

“At 3:30, there was a spontaneous uprising of the citizens, who with the ringing of bells, blowing of whistles and many other devices for making noise gave vent to their feelings,” Editor S.C. Godbold reported in that week’s newspaper. “Patriotic speeches were made by Hons. E.W. Berry, J.M. Bonner, Lee McMillan and Solicitor J.F. Thompson. It would be impossible to describe the emotions of the crowd.

“Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters shed tears of joy that they would soon be rejoined by their loved ones who are at the front, and the prayers of the entire crowd went up that such would be the case at an early date. There are no more patriotic people on earth than those of Camden and Wilcox County.”

In the end, I encourage everyone to take a few minutes tomorrow to remember the true meaning behind Veterans Day. Countless numbers of Wilcox County’s son and daughters have served honorably in all of the nation’s conflicts and have served their nation both on foreign soil and at home. God bless each and every one of our hometown veterans for their service to the nation and its people.