In honor of Memorial Day, on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. at the entrance of Midlothian High School, several faculty members and students surrounded the flagpole and the memorial for 1997 Midlo graduate, Major Charles A. Ransom, for a wreath-laying ceremony to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.

Members of Midlo’s Young Patriots club organized the moment of silence and tribute, which began with a few words from Midlothian High Principal, Dr. Shawn Abel. Freshman Young Patriots club officer Connor Long paid tribute to Major Ransom’s memorial before meeting Dr. Abel at the flagpole, where he saluted the flag and handed the wreath to the principal. Students and faculty lined both sides of the walkway, as Dr. Abel and Long transported the wreath, placing it on the war memorial bearing Major Ransom’s name. After a moment of silence, Long’s uncle, David Allam, played a moving rendition of Taps, after which Dr. Abel invited those in attendance to approach the memorial and pay their respects.

Major Charles A Ransom graduated from Midlothian High School in 1997, and is the only Midlo graduate to lose his life serving in the military. The war memorial, dedicated on Veterans Day in 2015, stands at the front of the high school.  Midlo Social Studies teacher Mr. Daniel Abell, who graduated from Manchester High School in 1997, and played ball with Ransom, remembers him as “a genuinely nice person who almost always had a smile on his face.”

The brief service provided a touching, fitting tribute to Major Ransom and all of the heroes who have lost their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces.