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Nor were the intermittent rains enough to keep hundreds of locals from turning up at Laurinburg's American Legion Post 50 building to honor both former and current American servicemen and women.
"I know it was crowded but I think people enjoyed it," said Scotland County Veterans Council President Jimmy Bennett, who decided to move the service to the Post 50 building because of precipitation.
With the large crowd, many in attendance went without seats, and several were forced to stand outside of the building, out of sight of the proceedings.
"It makes us feel good that people are interested in supporting veterans on Memorial Day," said Ben Thomas, who viewed people's willingness to crowd into the humid building as a statement about the level of support in the area.
The 5 p.m. service began with a welcome from Mayor Matthew Block and a presentation of the colors by the Scotland High School JROTC.
Representative Doug Yongue and Senator Bill Purcell, both of whom represent the Scotland County area in Raleigh, along with County Commissioner Bob Davis all took a few moments to pay tribute to veterans, before keynote speaker Cpt. Calvin Calhoun took the podium.
Calhoun, 95, served as a sailor on a destroyer during much of World War II, and later commanded a destroyer squadron during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Calling for greater sacrifice domestically in support of American troops currently in the fray in the Middle East, Calhoun described patriotism as a commodity that the country is in "need of a lot more of" and indicated that the current conflicts abroad are some of the "most vicious" in American military history.
He also called upon those in attendance to "set the record straight" when they hear critics calling the United States an "arrogant, selfish" nation, as it is the "most outstanding example of selfless sacrifice" among the nations of the world.
Calhoun's father was killed in December of 1918 during the First World War, and his body currently rests in Arlington National Cemetery along with Calhoun's mother, son and first wife.
Following Calhoun's words, floral tributes were then paraded around the interior of the building. Flowers were given by Post 50, Post 49, the Pilot Club of Laurinburg, the Harvey Allen Family, the City of Laurinburg, Scotland County and by the Military Retirees Association.
"It is a true honor to our fallen veterans and the ones that stayed, the P.O.W.s, the M.I.A.s and a true honor to our young soldiers," commented First Sgt. William Swift, Jr., a JROTC instructor at Marlboro County High School and veteran of both the Vietnam and Gulf wars.
Recalling how many soldiers fighting in Vietnam felt forgotten by their country, Swift said that events like Monday's are part of the effort to make sure that America's current fighting men are not made to feel the same way.
The day, which damply began at 7 a.m. with locals placing flags on veterans' grave sites at Hillside Cemetery, ended with a 21 gun salute by the American Legion's 10th District Ritual Team and the retiring of the colors by the SHS JROTC.
Signed by Scotland County Board of Commissioners Chairman J.D. Willis, a Memorial Day Proclamation was approved to go along with the service.
"Whereas millions of men and women have answered the call to duty in defending the hard won freedoms we enjoy today," the proclamation reads, "Memorial Day is the occasion on which we remember, recognize and honor (their) unselfish service ... "
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