Purcell’s annual Memorial Day Service, spearheaded by city councilman Jay Tate, will be held Monday, May 26, at Hillside Cemetery.

Tate said Army Veteran Keith Williams will be the keynote speaker at the 11 a.m. service.

Sgt. Williams served in the  U.S. Army for 11 years, completing two tours in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007.

Earning several medals, Sgt. Williams completed PLDC and B-Noc while serving.

He was awarded two Army Accommodation medals, the good conduct medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Global War on Terrorism medal, the Afghanistan campaign medal and the Army achievement medal.

Sgt. Williams completed basic training and advanced infantry training at Fort Benning in Georgia. He was also deployed and trained at Camp Williams Utah, Camp Shelby Mississippi and Gown Field Idaho. He also spent time training at Pinion Canyon Colorado.

Justin Blankenship will give the invocation and Tate will read Flander’s Field.

Purcell’s Police Honor Guard, consisting of Sgt. Kyle Mobley, Ofc. Trent Houck, Ofc. Jacob Martz and Det. Jeremy Pittman, will be on hand to present a gun salute at the service which will be broadcast live on the Purcell Memorial Day veterans ceremony Facebook page. There will be no radio broadcast this year, Tate said.

Veterans will be recognized at the service as their respective branch’s songs are played. New this year will be a meal provided for veterans and their families after the service.

Tate said in case of inclement weather the event will be held in the Multi-Purpose Building. He said to check Facebook to see if the event changes venue from the cemetery.