With a cannon blast, a cloud of smoke and the echo of a bugle, Vicksburg National Military Park remembered a fallen member of the park service Sunday.

The park held a special cannon firing a few hours before the funeral of Lance Cpl. Squire “Skip” Wells, a 21-year-old Marine who one of five servicemen killed July 16 in an attack on the Armed Forces Career Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. Before he joined the military, he had been a summer volunteer at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield in Georgia.

“Skip was one of those people who made events like this possible. He was part of the National Park Service family. He was an important part of our family. We’re honored here today to commemorate him and his life story and his sacrifice for our great nation to defend our freedom,” ranger Ray Hamel said.

Several Marine Corps veterans who are members of Tyner-Ford Post No. 213 of the American Legion attending the program to honor their fellow Marine.

“It saddens me to be here on this occasion, but throughout history Marines have been there to do what is necessary to defend this country,” post commander and 20-year Marine Corps veteran Noland Smith said.

Marine Corps servicemen Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan of Springfield, Mass., Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist of Grantsburg, Wisc., and Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt of Russellville, Ark., were also killed in the attack as was U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class. Randall Smith of Paulding, Ohio.

Hamel encouraged visitors to think of those who have put their lives on the line for America as they toured the park Sunday.

“They stepped up when the country needed to be founded, when a republic needed to be defended,” Hamel said. “To this day, young men and women continue to make that sacrifice, and that’s why we’re here today.”

Vicksburg National Military Park’s focus is on the Civil War, but it is not just a story of North and South, Hamel said.

“The story of battlefields like here and Kennesaw Mountain are tightly woven into the fabric of our country,” he said.

Vicksburg National Military Park’s summer cannon firing programs wrap up Tuesday, ranger Will Wilson said. The Living History programs will continue on Saturdays and Sundays at the Shirley House.

“We’ll be having it open for visitors to come inside,” Wilson said.

Admission to Vicksburg National Military Park is $8 per noncommercial vehicle. For more information call 601-363-0583 or visit www.nps.gov/vick.