MAY 30 - JUNE 5, 2019 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
REMEMBERING THE FALLEN
Beaufort shows reverence for those who gave all MIKE MCCOMBS
Honoring the fallen should be a year-round deal
B
y now, the gatherings and happenings of the just-passed Memorial Day weekend are still fresh on the mind but soon headed for our unruly stack of memories, slowly fading. By now, the grill has been cold for days, and any leftovers are likely already gone from the fridge. By now, those of us that enjoyed a long weekend out of town are home again and several days back at work. It may seem like the time to look forward to the next holiday, our next celebration, our next vacation. Instead I want to linger on the one we just had for a while. Decoration Day begot Memorial Day. A day to recognize and honor the Americans before us who paid the highest price in service of their country. The ultimate sacrifice. They died for us, so that we may be free. So how do we honor those men and women? What do we do to celebrate such a somber occurrence? Given the celebrations, laying of wreaths and parades, do we do enough? How can we repay them? The answer is complicated, and yet it’s simple. The first and biggest
SEE MCCOMBS PAGE A4
Brittany Rosson, with her 10 month-old son Everett, share some quiet time at the grave of an Army veteran who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Rosson said her husband is in the Navy and they came to the cemetery to help pass out roses. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
Above left: The official color guard, led by Sgt. Ramzy Aguilar, for Monday’s celebration of Memorial Day was made up of Marines from Headquarters and Service Battalion from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Above right: Members of the Beaufort chapter of the Montford Point Marine Association wave to the crowd as they make their way down Boundary Street.
By Bob Sofaly Memorial Day was celebrated in Beaufort on Monday with the traditional parade through town and a ceremony at Beaufort National Cemetery, as well as backyard barbecues and, in some cases, trips to the beach. Pictured here are patriots who braved the triple-digit heat to honor those men and women who gave their full measure of devotion and surrendered their lives for their country. About 200 people gathered at the cemetery which was dedicated on May 31, 1887. Beaufort National Cemetery is the oldest in South Carolina and containing the remains of more than 25,000 service men and women. Carolina Floral Designs supplied about 4,000 roses for anyone that wanted to place a flower on a headstone. The roses were supplied free of charge.
Beaufort hoops coach arrested, dismissed By Justin Jarrett Former Beaufort High School varsity boys basketball coach Will Lowther provided alcohol to a minor when the two met up after chatting on a social networking and dating app, according to a Beaufort Police Department report obtained by LowcoSports.com. Lowther was dismissed from his coaching position and placed on administra-
tive leave from his role as a physical education teacher at BHS following his arrest Monday. He is charged with the transfer of alcohol to a minor. According to the report, the incident occurred April 6, when Lowther and a minor visiting from Aiken agreed to meet up after messaging one another on the app throughout the afternoon. Lowther arrived at a Beaufort residence
ISLAND GIRLS NIGHT OUT
with two bottles of liquor but stayed only a short time before a minor female who lives at the residence told him to leave. All names other than Lowther’s were redacted from the police report. During his first interview with Beaufort Police, Lowther denied the incident occurred and claimed he did not have an account on the app in question. He also provided
a detailed account of his activity and whereabouts that day, most of which was corroborated during the investigation. Cell phone records, however, placed Lowther in the Mossy Oaks neighborhood of Beaufort from 6:30-7 p.m., when he claimed to be at home or en route to Bluffton with a friend. When met with that evidence, the report says Lowther “appeared to be defeated” and asked to speak
FIRST FRIDAY
to an attorney before continuing the interview. At a second interview with his attorney present, the report says Lowther admitted to police he had “engaged in conversation with someone he thought was 18 years old and was in college” and taken two bottles of liquor to the residence to meet up. Upon hearing an adult male’s voice from the bedroom, the minor who lives
INSIDE
Ballenger Realty hosts May’s event for local ladies.
The Downtown Beaufort Merchants Association salutes Dads and Dudes at June's First Friday event.
PAGE B1
PAGE B3
Lowcountry Life A2 Death Notices A2 News A2-3 From The Front A4 Business A5 Health A5
Around Town B1, 3 Sports B2 Schools B3 Voices B4 Celebrations B4 What To Do B5
at the house — a student at BHS — entered the living room and asked Lowther to leave. The second minor recognized Lowther as a teacher from the school. Lowther told police he claimed to be 25 — he is 33 — in his account on the app. Lowther is scheduled for a municipal court date May 30. Justin Jarrett is the editor of www. lowcoSports.com and the sports editor of The Island News.