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Published Wednesday, November 11, 2009 in Local

Tribute may be moved to 2nd location because of weather

By Winston Skinner

The Newnan Times-Herald

People heading to the Veterans Day ceremonies in downtown Newnan today should bring a lawn chair -- and maybe an umbrella, too.

This year's Veterans Day tribute has extra facets because of the dedication of statues at Veterans Memorial Plaza. The statues depict two Medal of Honor recipients from Coweta County, Col. Joe M. Jackson and Maj. Stephen W. Pless, talking to two children.

Jackson will be speaking this morning, and relatives of Pless are also expected today. Unfortunately, rain is anticipated.

Initially, plans called for the ceremony to be held at 11 a.m. outdoors in the park at Jackson Street and Temple Avenue. Dick Stender, commander of American Legion Post 57, said Tuesday afternoon that the ceremony will be moved to either McKoon Funeral Home or Wadsworth Auditorium if heavy rains continue.

He said there will be signs at the park to tell people where the ceremony will be held. "We'll have people there with umbrellas," he said. If the ceremony must be moved because of rain, the new location will also be posted on times-herald.com -- The Times-Herald's Web site.

Organizers are hoping for a break in the weather so the program can take place at Veterans Memorial Plaza.

The statues of Jackson and Pless were done by Dallas, Texas, sculptors Mark Austin Byrd and Jenelle Armstrong Byrd. The two military men from Newnan received the nation's highest military honor for heroic actions during the Vietnam War. Pless died in 1969.

Jackson piloted a C-123 Provider transport aircraft to conduct a rescue on May 12, 1968, near Kham Duc. The rescue by Pless, a UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopter pilot, was near Quang Nai on Aug. 19, 1967.

The two received the Medal of Honor from President Lyndon Johnson in a White House ceremony in 1969.

Immediately following today's ceremony, the Coweta Veterans' Club on U.S. 29 North will serve a luncheon for the community. Food will be served until 2 p.m. The club has extended a special invitation to law enforcement and emergency service personnel to attend the luncheon.