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City of McKenzie Holds Memorial Day Event

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McKENZIE (May 31) — The City of McKenzie hosted its annual Memorial Day event Monday at 10 a.m. at Veterans Park. Mayor Jill Holland began the ceremony by leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Colton Baker led the National Anthem and the Patriotic Selection. Randy McCadams said the prayer and recited a Memorial Day poem at the event’s conclusion. Mayor Holland then extended her welcome and thanked everyone who helped with the program before introducing the event’s featured speaker, Sergeant Major Spiros Roditis.

Roditis is a 1986 graduate of Venice High School in Venice, California, and has been involved with the military for 32 years. He first enlisted in the United States Army in 1989 as a Combat Engineer Soldier, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was honorably discharged in 1992 after being deployed to Desert Storm/Shield with the 20th Engineer Battalion. He joined the Army National Guard in 1995, and in 1997 he was hired on as a full-time Tennessee Army National Guard Soldier assigned to the Battery B 2-115 Field Artillery Battalion in Covington, Tennessee as the unit’s Nuclear Biological Chemical Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). He served as the unit’s Administrative NCO before his transfer to the Battery A 2-115 Field Artillery Battalion in Lexington, Tennessee to serve as the unit’s Training NCO. He was transferred and promoted to Staff Sergeant to the Alpha Company 230th Engineer Battalion in McKenzie to serve as the unit’s Logistics NCO. In this unit, Roditis was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. In 2006, he returned from deployment and transferred to the HHC 230th Engineer Battalion in Trenton where he was later promoted to Sergeant First Class to serve as the unit’s Readiness NCO. He was then promoted Master Sergeant and served as the 230th Engineer Battalion Operations NCO. In 2015, he was transferred and promoted to serve as the 194th Engineer Brigade Operations Sergeant Major. Roditis retired in 2020 and began his career with the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services as West Tennessee’s Regional Director in July of 2020. He is married to Sandi Stafford Roditis, and they share three children: Ellie, Stafford, and Marquez Taylor. Ellie is a senior at the University of Central Arkansas, Stafford is an incoming sophomore at McKenzie High School, and Marquez is an incoming junior at McKenzie High School.

Spiros Roditis began his speech by thanking his family, saying all of his successes are a team effort. He reminded the audience Memorial Day serves to recognize the men and women who served for the nation and that the world is a better place from their sacrifices, but it is still not free from evil. He asked that when everyone left, for them to realize that every bit of the ground they walk on has been paid for by those who served. He concluded his speech, sharing that veterans are just ordinary people who were thrust into extraordinary situations, and that words cannot begin to express his gratitude for them all.

Following the speech, veterans were urged to stand when they heard their branch of service’s hymn. Dana Deem from American Legion Post 37 and Billy Kirkindoll from VFW Post 4939 placed the memorial wreath. The playing of “Taps’’ followed. Mayor Jill Holland concluded the program and urged attendees to sign in and enjoy refreshments.