Memorial Day ceremony planned at Salisbury National Cemetery
Published 12:05 am Wednesday, May 10, 2023
SALISBURY — The annual Memorial Day celebration will take place again this spring on May 29 at the Salisbury National Cemetery.
Kicking off at 10 a.m., the event hosts Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander, who will read a proclamation and place a memorial wreath, and the Rowan County Honor Guard will present colors. Local songstress Martha Corriher will offer a medley of patriotic ballads. The tribute will be hosted by (Ret.) U.S. Army Major Queen E. Williams.
The keynote speaker will be author Tom Ruck, who talks about the value of America celebrating all who have served in his book, “Sacred Ground — A Tribute to America’s Veterans,” an apropos Memorial Day tribute to fallen troops, especially since the book cover features Salisbury National Cemetery.
Guests will hear Ruck’s narrative honoring patriotism with a plea to capture and preserve family history, as well as salute the 50th Anniversary of the National Cemetery Administration.
A popular military speaker, Ruck was an invited guest speaker at the 70th anniversary of D-Day (2014) in Sainte Mere-Eglise in Normandy, France honoring the men of the 82nd and 101st Airborne for their courageous efforts that fateful day. He has also been honored to deliver keynote speeches at numerous national cemeteries during Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Wreaths Across America events, with more than 100 radio and TV appearances.
“I created this book as a labor of love to honor the truest of American heroes, our veterans,” said Ruck. The book was published by the Regnery Group (now part of Salem Media Group) and was awarded a Gold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America, Grand Prize winner at the Branson Stars and Flags Book Awards, and also winner of the USA Best Book Awards — Military History category. Additionally, Ruck was recipient of a commendation from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and honored by hosting four consecutive book signings at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (2009-2012).
All royalties generated by the sales of “Sacred Ground” go directly to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. “What I love about this book is that kids who have been dealt a traumatic blow by the loss of a parent while they were serving this great country of ours will know that America has not forgotten them or the sacrifice of their parent,” Ruck said.
Currently a senior advisor with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., and the Blue Campaign, the nationwide effort combating Human Trafficking, Ruck is a graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia, and hails from the St. Louis area where he was active in many volunteer and philanthropic organizations. He is a visiting fellow to the Freedom Alliance Foundation and is also a member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, and the Springfield, Virginia, Post 176 Sons of the American Legion. He continues traveling the nation honoring veterans programming.
