Fort Benning remembers its fallen

The stars and stripes, and a bouquet of tulips in a vase alongside gravestones at Fort Benning's military cemetery, on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Memorial services for soldiers died in war were held at Fort Benning near Columbus today.

Over two hundred family members of fallen soldiers; along with veterans, officers and local officials took part in the ceremony, held at the post cemetery.

Benning commander Major-General Walter Wojdakowski says the fallen did not die in vain:

“In our hearts we know that we can't fully discharge our solemn obligation to these men and women, with mere words and gestures. for they did not die for words or wreaths alone; they died to preserve the freedoms that we so much enjoy.”

A color guard fired off three rounds saluting the fallen, a lone bugler played taps and the visitors walked among the thousands of gravestones, in remembrance.

The Army says over 80 soldiers have died in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Ray, Wendy, John and David Shisler of Columbus look out over the rows of gravestones during the Memorial Day ceremony, held at Fort Benning, May 26, 2008. (Dave Bender)

GPB Radio will air a special Memorial Day edition of Georgia Gazette this evening 6 pm, 7 pm in Athens. This evening at 8 pm, join GPB Radio for a specially produced program recapping the state Memorial Day commemoration of last Thursday.

Georgia honors its fighting men and women

From the weekend through today, cities and towns across the state are holding ceremonies and events to honor those who have served the country in conflicts across the globe.

GPB Radio will air a special Memorial Day edition of Georgia Gazette tonight at 6pm, 7 in Athens. This evening at 8pm, join GPB Radio for a specially produced program recapping the state Memorial Day commemeration of last Thursday.

Fifth arrest in Memorial Day murder

A fifth person has been arrested in the Memorial Day shooting death of a high school football player. 20-year-old Victor Manuel Ramirez is charged with killing of Andre Johnson, a student at Dalton High School. Like the four other suspects, Ramirez is charged with violating the Georgia Street Gang Act. Johnson was shot and killed last Monday in front of a convenience store. His funeral was held Saturday.

Vacancies force state patrol to put administrators, commanders on the roads

You may not notice it this holiday weekend, but the Georgia state patrol is suffering from a staffing shortage so severe that one in every five trooper positions is empty.

The state patrol is not finding enough qualified candidates to fill its 200 trooper openings. The low pay and long hours may not be appealing, and the state agency will only hire trained candidates with solid backgrounds.

But State Patrol Spokesman Larry Schnall says motorists will not notice the shortage this weekend.

"We've basically got every available trooper out there patrolling during our holiday periods," Schnall says. "People who normally don't patrol on a regular basis are called upon basically to patrol, rather than do our administrative duties."

Schnall says the more troopers on the roads, the safer the public will be. He plans to take a break from his communications duties to man the roads.

The agency also is borrowing officers from other departments, including the Capitol police, to patrol the highways during the holiday.