When Columbia marks Memorial Day, it's a meaningful opportunity to reflect, pay tribute and stand united as a community in gratitude for those who gave their lives in defense of our nation.

Since the end of World War II, the town has proudly honored Memorial Day with a tradition that once boasted the largest parade of its kind in the nation, according to organizers. Though the parade has scaled down over the years, the community's dedication to remembering those who served remains as powerful as ever.

This year's commemoration will begin at noon on Sunday, May 25, with a performance by the Bainbridge Band at the gazebo in Locust Street Park, 550 Locust St. The official Memorial Day ceremony will follow at 1 p.m., featuring words of reflection and gratitude.

Lt. Col. Seamas Whitesel will be the main speaker at the ceremony. A graduate of Heidelberg American High School in Germany and Lehigh University, Whitesel commissioned into the aviation branch and completed UH-60 Black Hawk training and aviation officer training at Fort Rucker in Alabama. He served at company, battalion and brigade levels as an aviation officer. He also deployed in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Whitesel joined the Foreign Area Officer branch as a South Asia specialist, studying Hindi and Urdu at the Defense Language Institute in California before attending the Bangladesh Defense Services Command and Staff College. He traveled throughout the region to further his understanding of U.S. involvement in Asia and completed a Master of International Policy and Practice, focused on South Asian foreign politics, at George Washington University. He served with the Defense Intelligence Agency and as senior defense official and defense attache to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. He currently serves as the director for South Asia regional affairs with the National Security Council. He and his wife are the parents of five children.

Following the ceremony, the parade will step off at 2:30 p.m. from 10th and Manor streets in Columbia.

Sgt. Benjamin Zeamer will serve as grand marshal. Sgt. Zeamer joined the U.S. Army in 2006 at the age of 26, completing basic training and airborne school at Fort Benning in Georgia. He was stationed for the duration of his military service with the 173rd Airborne in Vicenza, Italy. Between 2007 and 2010, he completed two tours in northeastern Afghanistan and engaged in more than 200 combat operations with enemy forces. He served honorably as a line squad team leader, leaving the Army with the rank of sergeant. He and his wife are the parents of two sons.

Organizers of the Memorial Day events said the ceremony and parade serve to remind us of our debt to those who have served and to underscore patriotism.

"It is a local, hometown, longtime tradition," said Bob Herman. "It's all about honoring our local hometown military heroes."

In the event of rain, the ceremony will be moved inside to St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sixth and Locust streets.