By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Long County holds MLK observance
1721d9d55dbb7be6db5cf87b0729eee37a638887937149aa91b8507c38592db8
Martin Luther King waves to the crowd in a moment from Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s PBS documentary Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise," now on DVD. - photo by Chris Hicks

Ludowici— The Long County Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance Committee held their annual activities on January 12, 2019.

John L. Jones was honored this year as the Grand Marshal of the 2019 Long County Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. Jones is very involved in the community. The Long County native attends Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church where he serves on the Deacon and Trustee Ministries, is the Sunday school superintendent and teacher and sings in the church choir. He is also a member of the State of Georgia Juvenile Court Review Panel Board, co-chair of the Long County Planning and Zoning Board and a retired member of the Diversity Board.

Jones also sings in the Wayne County Male Chorus and is the owner and operator of Jones Lawn Service. During the program, the honoree was elated and thanked the committee for selecting him as grand marshal.

“It’s a wonderful day in my life,” he said. 

The featured speaker for the program was Adolphus Farlow. A Ludowici native and a 1985 graduate of Long County High School, Farlow is a registered nurse at Davita Dialysis in Brunswick, Georgia.

The son of Tom and Zethyrie Farlow, he is also a graduate of Brunswick Junior College (now known as College of Coastal Georgia). Farlow told the audience that Dr. King’s dream had turned into a nightmare.

“Over 56 years ago a man had a dream that changed the nation,” Farlow said. “50 years after his assassination, we have shootings in schools. This nightmare must stop.” 

Farlow said to those gathered that sometimes in life we have situations that shake our belief but we must continue to hold onto God’s unchanging hand.

Farlow, who is a member of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, stated that although Dr. King was murdered, his living was not in vain because it changed the world. He challenged the audience to join in the fight to help the cause “We can make a difference in our church, community and homes.”

Also during the service, Mary Hamilton gave a memorial tribute to the late Mildred Elder. Hamilton stated that in the late 1970’s Ruth Mallard and Willie Glover organized a walk that was held on Dr. King’s birthday but after their deaths and several people who were key contributors to the walk moved the way, they quit doing it. 

“Mrs. Elder gave me a call and said that it’s time to have a parade in Ludowici and she wanted me to be the chairman,” Hamilton said. She added that Elder, who passed away in December 2018, also wrote a play about Walker High School, but it was never performed. Hamilton hopes to have the production during the 2020 MLK Observance.

Rev. Leroy Lott, the pastor of Greater Historical Elim Missionary Baptist Church, served as the master of ceremonies for the program. Craig Wilson and Gerald Mallard sang solos and The Copes Family sang a medley of songs.

Long County MLK Observance Committee members include Beverly Hill, Ann Thompson, Mary Hamilton, Florence Baggs, Robert Harris, Diane Berry, Bobby Blakely and Marie Harris.



Sign up for our e-newsletters
3rd ID, Army, allies mourn four soldiers lost in accident
Farewell ceremony set for Thursday morning in Lithuanian capital
four soldiers

The four U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania have been identified.  

The Army has confirmed the four soldiers who died when their vehicle sank into a bog as Staff Sgt. Edvin Franco, 25, Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez, 25, PFC Dante Taitano, 21, and Staff Sgt. Troy Knutson-Collins, 28.

"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our soldiers,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies - and our own sailors, airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers - have enabled us to find and bring home our soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.” 

The four soldiers, who were the crew of a M88A2 armored recovery vehicle, went missing in the early morning hours of March 25. Their vehicle eventually was found March 26 but it was beneath approximately 14 feet of water and sunk into more than six feet of mud.

Crews worked to drain the area around the vehicle to make it stable for heavy equipment needed to pull out the M88. U.S. Navy divers were flown in and attached cables to hoist points so the submerged vehicle could be lifted out of the bog.

"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd ID commanding general. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.” 

Knutson-Collins, Duenez Jr., and Franco were all posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.

Knutson-Collins was an artillery mechanic with over seven years in the Army. He arrived at Fort Stewart in February 2018 and was assigned to 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion.

Knutson-Collins graduated from the Army Basic Leader Course, the Advanced Leaders Course, the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations course, and the Combat Lifesaver course. He deployed to Korea in 2020.

His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Master Technician Badge.

“Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit,” said Capt. Jackson Patillo, commander, Foxtrot Company, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion. “Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member to our entire Fox family that we will truly miss.”

“The pain we feel from this loss is insurmountable,” said Lt. Col. Erick Buckner, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion commander. “Staff Sgt. Knutson-Collins was well loved throughout our unit and a brother to all. He was an expert, an incredibly talented mechanic and a warrior. We will never forget his dedication to his unit, his family and his country.”

“We are incredibly relieved that we were able to bring this recovery to an end and bring closure to all the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, who also grew up on Fort Stewart. “We cannot thank our Allies and fellow service members enough, especially the Lithuanians, who spared no resource in support of this mission. Together, we delivered on our promise to never leave a fallen comrade.” 

Throughout the seven-day recovery effort, the combined and joint team worked day and night to find the soldiers. 

“As the fourth and final soldier has been recovered from this tragic accident, we will continue to mourn their loss as we work to quickly return our Dog Face Soldiers home to their families,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps and former Fort Stewart and 3rd ID commanding general. “It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.” 

All four soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to provide credible ground deterrence alongside Allies and partners, and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart. 

“I'm immensely proud of our entire team. They have been relentless in their efforts to search and recover our soldiers and get every capability and asset necessary to enable this effort,” Gen. Donahue said. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also posted on X his sorrow at the loss of the four soldiers.

“I want to personally extend my deepest condolences to the families of all four fallen soldiers,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy across the Department of Defense. We are deeply grateful to our brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts who labored alongside them. The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen. We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.”

A farewell ceremony for the soldiers will be held Thursday morning in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

“Every soldier is also a Lithuanian soldier, and their families’ pain is our pain,” said a statement from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

The U.S. Army is investigating the cause of the accident. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. 

"We continue to stand by the families and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Norrie. “Now, it’s time to bring them home.” 

 

Latest Obituaries