Monday, May 25, the City will host a virtual Memorial Day Services to remember our military heroes who fought for the freedom of our country. The event can be viewed on the city’s YouTube Channel (Opelika City Gov) at 10 a.m. The link for the city’s channel can be found at www.opelika-al.gov.
We have a special lineup this year:
- Welcome by Mayor Gary Fuller
- Prayer by Rev. Robin Wilson, First United Methodist Church of Opelika
- Special Music by DeDe Jackson and Dallas Dorsey
- Poetry by Ella Kate and Maxwell Battles
- Guest speaker is U.S. Army Veteran Jody Fuller
Jody Fuller is a comic, speaker, writer and soldier with three tours of duty in Iraq. He is also a lifetime stutterer.
Growing up in Opelika, Ala., Fuller had to overcome two things: poverty and stuttering. Enlisting in the Army after high school helped him overcome the poverty but the stuttering continues to pose unique challenges. After a four-year stint as an Army medic, he returned home to attend college at Auburn University at Montgomery where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
After 9/11, Fuller returned to the Army by way of Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Ga. Following completion of his Officer Basic Course, he was assigned to 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash. In November 2003, he deployed to Iraq for a year with the 296th Brigade Support Battalion of the Army’s First Stryker Brigade, where he served as the platoon leader of the third largest platoon in the United States Army.
In 2006, he left active duty Army to join the Alabama National Guard and deployed to Iraq two additional times. In 2014, he transferred to the Army Reserves where he was promoted to the rank of Major.
When not in uniform, Fuller performs all over the U.S. for a wide range of groups, including non-profits, corporations and disability groups. He also performs for troops at home and abroad. To date, he has performed for U.S. military personnel in 15 countries and counting.
As a writer, his column can be read in 10 newspapers. He’s also been published eight times in the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Fuller is a member of two NSAs: the National Stuttering Association and the National Speakers Association. He lives in Opelika with his family.
Memorial Day Week Garbage Schedules:
Garbage and recycling routes will run one day later than normal.