SIKESTON - Former Charleston resident, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jack Waggener, will be guest speaker for a Memorial Day service at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Veterans Park.
Local veterans from AmVets, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will also participate in the event. Maj. Roger Alsup, former commander of Company C in Sikeston, will place the wreath during the ceremony while SFC Steve Alexander of Sikeston will present the colors at the ceremony.
Company C of the 1140th Engineer Battalion of the National Guard will present the 21-gun salute and Brian Smith, chaplain at Missouri Delta Medical Center, will offer a prayer of remembrance. "Taps" will be played by Scott Heuiser.
aggener, a native of Charleston, now lives at the Lake of the Ozarks.
A 1948 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Waggener spent 28 years of active duty with the U.S. Army. During his career, he was stationed in South America, Europe and Asia, including combat tours in Korea and the Republic of South Vietnam. His stateside duties included the Army Nuclear Power Program, the Pentagon and Army Material Command.
During his tenure with the Army, he received a master's degree in engineering from MIT and attended the Army War College and Air Force Command and Staff College. Before he retired from service, Waggener's final assignment was as commanding general at Fort Leonard Wood in Waynesville.
After retiring from active duty, he worked for George Washington University for two years and was with the Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation for seven years.
He and his wife, the former Mary Ella Drake, also a former Charleston resident, are the parents of four children and have two grandchildren.
After completing six years of active duty with the U.S. Air Force, Alsup joined the National Guard to continue his military career. During the past several years, he has completed a variety of leadership schools with the Guard.
In 1994, Alsup was commanding officer of Company C and is presently the site manager for the Wappapello Training Area of the Guard. As a civilian, he is assistant principal at Dexter High School and recently completed his doctorate in education at St. Louis University. He and his wife have two children.
Alexander has been with the Missouri National Guard for 31 years and presently serves in Sikeston. During his career, he has served in Panama and in Honduras on road projects as well as flood duties in Missouri. Alexander, who is trained as a combat engineer, participated in training exercises in Germany last year.
Following the ceremony, veterans and their families are invited to the American Legion Post on Kingshighway, where lunch will be served.
In the event of rain, the service will be held at the First Christian Church in Sikeston.