On this Veterans Day, Mississippians are serving in the military, here at home and all over the world. And Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith says many others have been part of the armed forces in the past…
“According to the most recent census, more than 140,000 veterans call Mississippi home, a powerful reminder of the deep well of patriotism and service that runs through our state.”
And while this day honors all those who’ve served, a family from Durant decided the gravesite of a young man who died a hero in Vietnam needed some attention….
“We want people like him to be remembered…”
Derek May says PFC Milton Lee Olive III, who grew up on his grandfather’s farm in Lexington, gave his life to save some of his fellow soldiers 60 years ago….
“And we want people to remember that the cost of freedom isn’t free…”
Olive, who was only 18, became the first African-American Vietnam veteran to be awarded the Medal of Honor for smothering an enemy grenade with his body. He’s buried near Lexington at the West Grove Missionary Baptist Church cemetery. His final resting place is well-marked, but May had heard that it needed to be cleaned up. So, that’s what he, his wife Jodi and their son did….
“The cemetery overall seems to be well taken care of. And so, we just did what we could do. We wiped the moss off of his tombstone and the Medal of Honor citation…”
His wife, who runs a florist shop on the Square in Kosciusko, created a patriotic flower arrangement for the grave. May, who served almost 12 years in the Mississippi National Guard with tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, says when he learned the story about how Olive became a hero at such a young age, it hit home for him… “I have a 17-year-old son. And so, you know, I’m thinking, this is like my son’s age when this took place. This was somebody’s child that did such an amazing act to save the lives of the men to his left and the men to his right…”
