Members of James E. Marshall American Legion Post #187 Winfield executes the 3-Volley Salute at Valley View Memorial Park in a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 27th.

Memorial Day is always a busy day for American Legion Post #187. Year in and year out, the Post has faithfully conducted ceremonies at three locations in the county in remembrance of those who have served the cause of freedom. The ceremonies consist of prayer, a history of relating to Memorial Day, a 3-gun volley, followed by the playing of Taps.

The day begins at the War Memorial at Winfield at 10 a.m., shifts to Valley View Memorial Park in Hurricane at noon and to Haven of Rest in Red House at 2:30 p.m.

In recent years, the 3-gun volley has been executed by seven members. Although seven rifles are fired three times (a total of 21 rounds), the ceremony is not a 21-gun salute. Three, not 21, is the significant number. The emphasis was on three at Valley View Park on Memorial Day because there were only six Legion members available to conduct the 3-gun salute. A total of 18 rounds were fired. The reason for three is stated in American Legion literature. The three comes from a practice during the Roman era following a day of battle. When the field of battle was cleared, if the soldier removing the slain soldier knew the name of the dead, then he would call out their names three times in remembrance their sacrifice.

During the last twenty years, American Legion Post #187 has called out the names of the dead more than seven thousand times.