A tree depicting liberty, a stone celebrating the US' 250 years dedicated at USM
The University of Southern Mississippi honored veterans and service members and celebrated the nation's freedoms Wednesday at a ceremony outside the Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families.
The event was co-hosted with the Hattiesburg Twentieth Star Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, whose members Susan Perry and Norma Williamson brought the idea last year to university President Joseph Paul.
"About a year ago (they) burst into my office unannounced, saying we're going to do this tree thing, and you're going to support it," Paul said jokingly.
Perry and Williamson co-chaired the Give Me Liberty! Meet Me at the Tree!" event.
On a more serious note, Paul said every day is a great day to celebrate the privilege of being an American.
An elm tree, representing the original Liberty Tree that was planted in Boston in 1646, and a DAR America 250 Patriots Marker were dedicated during the ceremony.
“Now, our chapter and the center will be forever linked, and this is a high honor for us,” Williamson said in a news release. “The mission of DAR is to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism, and that includes honoring our veterans, past and present, who have given so much so our country can be free.”
The colors were presented by the USM Air Force ROTC, followed by the national anthem sung by Kassidy Chandler with the USM School of Music. The colors were accompanied by a flyover by a UH 60 Blackhawk helicopter piloted by Mississippi Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Clint Wallace with Company A, 185th Assault Helicopter Battalion at Hawkins field Jackson.
The Patriots Marker was unveiled, and its engraved inscription read.
"This marker commemorates the men and women who achieved American independence," the plaque says. "These Patriots, believing in the noble cause of liberty, fought valiantly to found a new nation."
Before the United States became a country of its own, British subjects began forming colonies along the East Coast. In Boston, an elm tree, which became known as the Liberty Tree, was planted in 1646 and was a gathering place for more than 100 years, until the British cut it down in hopes of stifling the unrest they saw growing under its limbs.
In 1765, a group of colonists met at the tree to protest the parliament's Stamp Act, the first tax imposed on the colonies.
The colonists were under British rule and subject to parliamentary law, but with the implementation of the Stamp Act and subsequent tax acts over the next few years, including the tax imposed on tea, sparked what would become the American Revolution and the birth of the United States, which will turn 250 in 2026.
“This event and dedication honor and mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation — one that was won through struggle, sacrifice and love for people of freedom,” retired Army Maj. Gen. Jeff Hammond, who serves as the center’s director, said in a news release.
“The Liberty Tree provides a symbol of community, whereas the DAR Patriots Marker symbolizes respect, honor and awe for those who sacrificed so much that we might have a United States of America.”
Maxim Bundy, an art student at Jones Junior College, presented a painting of the veterans center to the center's staff. Signed prints were given to some of the project's supporters, including the Rev. Father Tommy Conway and St. Fabian Catholic Church, whose members helped sponsor the event.
The veterans center is located at 200 North 35th Ave. in Hattiesburg. For more information, visit usm.edu/military-veterans or call 601-266-8387.
Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss, DAR honor veterans, celebrate nation's 250 years
