Honor the service and sacrifice of all active-duty and military veterans at the annual Veterans Day Parade today, November 11, at 1 p.m.in Old Town. “Now everyone wants to welcome veterans and I’m happy for them”.
Advertisement
“We’re going to forgive ourselves”.
Residents lined Cherry Street in Callaway Wednesday afternoon to thank veterans for their service. Creedence Clearwater Revival and other music of the era filled the air near the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America spot along the row of tents that different organizations set up at the event. “The directors, the assistant directors, the nurses, doctors, janitors- when you walk through these doors our eyes are on you”, Payne said.
President Barack Obama spent his Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where he laid a wreath and took part in a ceremony, urging better care for vets.
“It means a lot for what veterans do for us”, Daniel said.
“The Vietnam War was not a popular war, and when the veterans came back, they were not uplifted and supported the way they should have been then”, Whitmire said.
As the names of their fallen comrades were read during the ceremony, several Vietnam veterans in attendance knelt down and gripped the stone wall dedicated in their honor with their heads bowed.
“Veterans go out into war to serve our country”, Ross said. Still, after all these years, the meaning of his service and of Veterans Day is not lost and that’s why he was there. “They need to know where that comes from. Of course I’ve been retired for quite a while, 47 years I’ve been out, but I still respect the military”, said Anderson.
Advertisement
“We honor every soldier, sailor, airmen, marine and coast guardsmen who gave a few of the best years of their lives to the service of the United States and stood ready to give life itself on our behalf”, said Major General John Baker, the Commanding General with the 7 Signal Command at Fort Gordon.
