The James C. Kennedy Wellness Center in Charleston was the setting Saturday, June 22, for the first-ever reunion of veterans of the former Company C, of the Mississippi Army National Guard’s 223rd Engineer Battalion.
Soldiers who served at the Guard’s Charleston Readiness Center, as well as nearby centers in Webb and Clarksdale, were present for the momentous occasion. All expectations were met, as over 170 soldiers and family members attended.
Planning committee members Stacy Johnson, Roy Shook, Thad Roberts, Lloyd Smith, Kelly Walls, John Tenner and Ashley Williams, started preparing in January to make this event a success.
During the roll call session of the program, several soldiers who originally enlisted in the Guard during the 1950s were recognized.
Although the Readiness Center was officially closed and turned over to the city of Charleston in 2019, the soldiers never lost touch of their roots and the platform that the unit provided for them to go on and excel in other careers.
“It was a great pleasure to see so many veterans come back home to Charleston for this reunion,” said Roberts. “There was so much excitement shown by all of the fellowship and greetings by everyone.”
Due to overwhelming support, this will become an annual event for soldiers and their families, he added.
Roberts expressed special thanks to Tallahatchie General Hospital CEO Jim Blackwood for allowing this memorable event to be held in the Wellness Center on the TGH campus.
A folder featuring dozens of photos from the reunion may be viewed here.
