Senoia Scouts Place Flags at Veterans’ Graves Ahead of Memorial Day Ceremony Marking America’s 250th Year

Annual Remembrance Ceremony set for Monday, May 25, at the City of Senoia Cemetery

SENOIA, Ga. — On the evening of May 21, scouts from Boy Scout Troop #2258 of Turin United Methodist Church walked the rows of the City of Senoia Cemetery and placed an American flag at the grave of every veteran resting there. One by one, the scouts paused at each headstone, spoke the veteran’s name aloud, and pressed a flag into the ground, ensuring that no one who served would go unremembered this Memorial Day.

The flag placement is a longstanding part of Senoia’s Memorial Day observance and a fitting prelude to this year’s ceremony, which carries special significance as the United States marks its 250th anniversary of independence.

The City of Senoia will host its annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony on Monday, May 25, 2026, at 9:00 A.M. at the City of Senoia Cemetery on Stallings Road. Themed “Honoring Service and Sacrifice,” the ceremony will honor the brave men and women whose service made America’s 250 years of freedom possible. The City of Senoia Cemetery, Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, and Elmore Cemetery are the final resting places of 161 veterans, including three Purple Heart recipients, one Silver Star recipient, four Bronze Star recipients, and one Air Medal recipient.

This year’s ceremony will feature two distinguished guest speakers. Georgia State Rep. and U.S. Army Veteran David Jenkins represents House District 132 and is a decorated combat veteran who flew Chinook helicopters with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq and Afghanistan over a 14-year military career before retiring as a Captain in 2015. Retired Lt. Col. Carlee Bishop is a Command Pilot with nearly 3,000 flight hours who flew worldwide C-141 missions, later serving as a Division Chief in Astronautical Engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy and at Headquarters, U.S. European Command during and after the 9/11 attacks. Since retiring from the Air Force, she has continued to serve through education and mentorship at Georgia Tech, Agnes Scott College, the Air Force Academy, and West Point.

The ceremony will be emceed by Tom Jackson, a Senoia resident and U.S. Navy veteran. Mayor Scott Tigchelaar will open the ceremony with remarks. The program will also include an invocation and benediction by Jim Young, Chaplain of American Legion Post 50. Taps will be performed by Dale Reeder, and Michael Scott will perform on the bagpipes. East Coweta High School vocalist Natalie Hauert will lead the National Anthem and “God Bless America.”

Colors will be presented by scouts from Boy Scout Troop #2258 of Turin United Methodist Church, with Scout Luke Goembel assisting in the ceremony, escorted by the East Coweta High School Junior ROTC under the direction of Major Scott Braden. A flyover by the Falcon RV Squadron is planned (weather permitting). The memorial wreath has been generously donated by Bedazzled Florist of Turin.

The ceremony is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring a folding chair for their comfort. The event is sponsored by the City of Senoia Downtown Development Authority.

Monday, May 25, 2026  •  9:00 A.M.  •  City of Senoia Cemetery, Stallings Road, Senoia 

*All photo credits: Susan Stitt