A memorial service is planned in Batesville on Sunday, July 18 for Sgt. David A. Holmes Jr. who was killed in Afghanistan on June 26 while serving with the Georgia Army National Guard. Sgt. Holmes was the son of Betty and David A. Holmes Sr. of Batesville.

The public service, including military honors, is planned at 2 p.m. in the Batesville Junior High School Auditorium.

Sgt. Holmes was buried on July 9 at the Georgia Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery. He made his home with his wife and children in Tennille, Ga.

He was a 1995 graduate of South Panola High School where he was a member of the ROTC. Sgt. Holmes had served in the Marine Corps and the Navy before joining the National Guard in Georgia.

He was killed when insurgents struck his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Local businesses are being asked to place commemorative messages on their signs and to lower their flags to half staff to honor Holmes’ memory this week.