A new memorial to those who served in World War II will be dedicated Sunday at the Tyler County Courthouse in Middlebourne. Members of the public are being encouraged to attend the ceremony that begins at 2 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held inside the courthouse.

Nearly 16,354,000 men and women served in the armed forces during World War II, and the memorial will recognize those in both major theaters of war. Inscribed granite benches, one for those who served in the European Theater of War and another for those in the Pacific Theater, will be dedicated. Inscriptions on the memorials will include the insignias of all five branches of the military - the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and the Merchant Marine. At the time, the U.S. Air Force did not exist; the Army Air Corps was its predecessor.

Though many similar memorials do not include the Merchant Marine, they are referred to many as the unsung heroes of the war.

The ceremony is to be conducted by two men who helped to spearhead the campaign to establish the memorial, Bob Tippins and Larry Howard. World War II veteran the Rev. Gus Bates will officiate. Part of the ceremony will include ringing the ship's bell from the quarterdeck of the USS Essex, a World War II aircraft carrier decommissioned in 1969.

Tippins noted the ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 6, for an important reason.

"The attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out on Dec. 7, 1941, which was a Sunday. That is why the benches are being dedicated on Sunday," he said.

The benches were paid for by charitable contributions from the community. Tippins said the campaign to purchase and place them at the courthouse was mounted in an attempt to honor service members who "served and returned home, as well as those who gave their lives for freedom.