WESTFIELD — The Westfield Ruritan Club will continue a patriotic tradition this Sunday afternoon as it hosts the 15th annual community Memorial Day service.

The service will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. around the World War II Memorial, adjacent to the Westfield Ruritan Community Building on the grounds of the old Westfield School. Each year the service honors all veterans who have served and sacrificed for their country as well as those who are currently serving.

The yellow ribbon, long identified as a way of remembering troops as they serve, will be used as a theme for this year’s service.

Special guest and speaker for the day will be George Randall, an area resident and poet. Randall is perhaps best known for his poem, “My Yellow Ribbons,” written during Operation Desert Storm as a tribute to all who served in the military.

While thousands of copies of the poem have been distributed to troops, veterans, family members and others, Randall has made a point of not receiving profit from its sales.

In late 2006, Randall released a new poem for the troops, entitled “You Are Not Forgotten.” Since that time, more than 64,000 copies of the poem have been distributed, again at no profit for Randall.

“We’re pleased and honored to have Mr. Randall coming to speak to us and to read his two poems that have been sent out to so many solders and others,” Westfield Ruritan Secretary Sandra Shelton said.

Others taking part in the brief ceremony will be Beth Hooker, who will perform “The Star Spangled Banner,” and Bill Tracey, singing “God Bless the USA.”

In past years organizers have dedicated the ceremony to an individual or group that has served its community or country. This year, as part of the service’s 15th anniversary, the event will be dedicated to the Westfield Ruritan Club and its past and present members.

In explaining why the club has made it a priority to continue to host the event, Shelton referred to the famous quote from President John F. Kennedy, “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

“This is our small way of remembering our veterans who have served and those who are serving now,” Shelton said. “We do this as a tribute to their sacrifices. This is a small symbol of the freedom we enjoy and the respect we have for those who have enabled us to have that freedom. That includes the members of our VFW groups, some of whom are in their 80s but still stand on this day to honor their country. This 30-minute service is something that each of us can do to show our respect.”

Shelton also voiced appreciation to the Westfield Volunteer Fire Department and local Boy Scouts for their help in preparation for the day.

“A lot of people help out with this,” Shelton noted. “It’s a community effort.”