A veteran of the U. S. Navy will be the guest speaker at the annual Veterans Day program in DeWitt DeWeese Park.
Ronald H. DiPalma of Philadelphia will speak during the Nov. 11 program which will begin at 11 a.m.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will host its annual Veterans Day Pow-Wow on Friday and Saturday. A parade is also planned.
DiPalma, a native of New London, Conn., moved to Philadelphia with his wife, Betty, just over 20 years ago to manage Citizens National Bank's Philadelphia branch, which had opened about four years earlier.
After graduating from high school, DiPalma joined the Navy during peace time, after the Korean War and before Vietnam.
He served four years of active duty and three years in the Navy Reserve headquartered at Key Field. Some 20 years later, he joined the Mississippi Air National Guard in Meridian, completing his military career in the accounting and finance office.
DiPalma is a member of the American Legion and the Philadelphia Rotary Club.
In case of rain, the Veteran's Day program will be moved to the VFW hut on Mississippi 16 east.
Cecil Hooker will serve as master of ceremonies and introduce special guests and elected officials.
Mike Calvert will sing the national anthem, while the Neshoba Central Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp. will present the colors.
Representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Carson Bounds Post 4396, Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 677, and American Legion posts 138 and 238 will lay wreaths near the memorial.
Leavy Shoffner will give the devotional. Gold Star mothers will be recognized. O. D. Jackson will introduce the guest speaker.
The National Guard's 367th Maintenance Company and 298th Maintenance Battalion will present a 21-gun salute.
Aaron Bradley will present taps.
Veterans Day Pow-Wow
The Veterans Day Pow-Wow will be held at the Pearl River Recreation Field off Mississippi 16 west, one mile past Silver Star and Golden Moon casinos.
The first day of the Veterans Day Pow-Wow will begin at 8 a.m. Friday and conclude at 10 p.m. On Saturday, the second and final day of the Pow-Wow begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at 10 p.m. Also on Saturday, the 2009 MBCI Veterans Day Parade will take place starting at 11 a.m.
The parade will begin at Annex II East Office Complex and travel past the offices of the Tribal Council ending near the Choctaw Central High School baseball field.
After the parade, a ceremony will be held in the amphitheater to honor any veterans attending the program and to award prizes to winners of the Veterans Day poster contest and the parade entry contest.
The public is encouraged to attend the festivities and show their support for the veterans who have fought to keep this country free.
