By: Yvonne Dempsey
May is busy time of year. Mother’s Day has passed and we are in the midst of graduations and other springtime events that lead into summer. The one holiday that has marked the beginning of summer for many is Memorial Day. But we all know that, first and foremost, it is a day set aside to remember those brave souls who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We would like to remind everyone to join us for our annual Memorial Day program at the Alabama Veterans Museum’s Event Venue at 11 a.m. The museum is located at 114 W. Pryor St. in Athens.
The featured speaker for this year’s program is Major General Douglas Lowery whose bio states “is the commanding general of the U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, AL. ACC, a subordinate command to the Army Materiel Command, is comprised of a subordinate one-star command, six major contracting centers and eight contracting support brigades. ACC enables Army readiness through global, expeditionary contracting support to warfighters engaged in military operations, weapon systems acquisition, life cycle management, sustainment and acquisition of goods and services vital to the Soldier’s mission and well-being.
“Prior to assuming command of ACC, Maj. Gen. Lowrey served as the commanding general for the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
“His other key assignments include serving as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Director of Army contracting, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, Washington, D.C.; Deputy Director of contracting management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.; Commander, 409th Contracting Support Brigade, Sembach Kaserne, Germany; Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (G3), ACC HQ, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; and Commander, 901st Contingency Contracting Battalion, Fort Cavazos, Texas. His operational assignments include deployments in support of Operation New Dawn, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Unified Response and Operation Intrinsic Action.”
Maj. Gen. Lowery’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with an oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Besides being an inductee of the Order of St. Maurice, he is authorized to wear the Combat Action Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, and Airborne Wings.”
Besides our upcoming program, there has been much going on at the museum. As part of National Travel and Tourism Week, the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) recently presented us with a pair of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. These innovative devices are designed to assist visitors with low vision or blindness, providing them an enhanced museum experience. Our museum strives to make military history and our veterans’ stories accessible to everyone. We are handicap-accessible for those with mobility issues, and now we have this new technology that will provide assistance for those who need it. The glasses were purchased through grant funding from the Alabama’s Mountains, Rivers and Valleys Resource Conservation & Development Council (AMRV RC&D). We thank them and are honored to be recipients of these valuable smart glasses.
Please remember that the museum still has flags for veterans’ graves. Families, church groups, clubs, veterans’ organizations, Scout troops, or any individual or group — you are encouraged to come by and pick up free flags, chose a cemetery or graveyard (we have a list) to place the flags, and help us to honor our deceased veterans for their service.
Plan to join us on Memorial Day for our program which also will include a band playing patriotic music and cake!
By: Yvonne Dempsey
