Field of Crosses honors 146 Dougherty and Lee military servicemen who died

ALBANY — The reason why several dozen people were able to come out to a mid-afternoon ceremony on a breezy but still blistering Sunday was not lost on the group as they stood near 146 small white crosses near the fountains in front of the Albany Mall.

The price for their freedom was represented by 146 small white crosses. Each cross had an American flag attached to it, and each was inscribed with the name of a man from Dougherty or Lee County who lost his life in military service to the nation, dating to World War I. On the eve of Memorial Day, a ceremony honoring those 146 men was conducted at the annual Field of Crosses.

“It’s said that all soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard at one time had signed a blank check, payable to the United States of America for any amount up to, and including, their very lives,” American Legion Post 30 program chairman Marvin Mixon, who spoke at the ceremony said. “The men and women who have made that ultimate sacrifice tendered their check and made the down payment for our liberty. It’s now up to us, our children and our grandchildren who must continue to make those mortgage payments. That’s the price of liberty and freedom.”

Mixon noted that it has gotten trite to say that freedom isn’t free, but he observed that has been the case throughout history when tyrants have wanted to subjugate others. “We have Memorial Day as the one special day of the year to remember, honor and memorialize those men and women in the armed forces that have made the ultimate sacrifice, protecting the rest of us from tyranny,” he said.

Mixon said the achievement of freedom has always required “sweat, tears and the very blood from the veins of the defenders and fighters for liberty and freedom.” And many of those sacrifices have struck close to home.

“These 146 men from Dougherty and Lee counties, that’s what they did for us,” he told the crowd. “Every one of them died because of enemy action against our country. Every one of these men name by name is an individual story.”

Mixon mentioned a few specific cases — one who was a casualty in the only parachute drop employed in the Vietnam War, another who was killed two weeks into a tour in Vietnam after he joined the Army to avoid jail time, a World War II soldier whose son learned about his father’s life from a book, and a soldier who was killed in an explosion in Vietnam.

“Every one of those 146 out here … a mother, a wife, a father was approached by a postman, a telegraph deliverer or an officer of the armed forces with the horrible news. ‘Ma’am, the president of the United States regrets to inform you that your son — or your husband — has been killed in the defense of our country.’

“The excruciating pain that man suffered at the end of his life is transferred to his family, to continue for the weeks, the months and years afterwards. And that’s why we sit out in the hot south Georgia sun on a beautiful blue sky day because we can,” Mixon said, his voice failing, “because of what they did.”

Before and after the brief ceremony, veterans talked about their experiences in the military — places they had been, weapons they had used, people they had known. Many in the crowd wandered through the Field of Crosses, looking at the names or searching for one in particular.

One of those was Bobbi Ford, grandmother of the late Lance Cpl. Steven Sutton of Lee County, who was killed in Afghanistan four years ago. After the ceremony concluded with the playing of Taps, Sutton’s stepmother, Debbie Sutton, helped Ford find the young Marine’s cross.

Ford said it was the first time she had been to the Field of Crosses ceremony, though she had attended the annual Big Steve Memorial Dice Runs named for her late grandson.

“Usually they have the poker run that starts at Leesburg, so I try to be there when all the bikes come in,” she said. “They’re having it the 11th of June.”

She and Debbie Sutton then recalled Steve Sutton, remarking about his size. Debbie Sutton said they had an interesting time once getting him fitted for a tuxedo. And they recalled his good nature.

“He was just the best young boy,” Ford said. “When I say that, they say, ‘Oh, you’re just saying that because he’s your grandson.’ But it’s true. He really was.”