By Ashley McLeod, Staff writer
Nov 13, 2015, 16:54
COLONIAL HEIGHTS — A section of the Boulevard by the war memorial closed down on Wednesday in order for city leaders and the community members to celebrate an important day of remembrance and honor for those who have served, and those currently serving our country in the armed forces.
Community members young and old attended the Veterans Day ceremony, including third-graders from Tussing Elementary School. The students sang patriotic songs to the crowd, including “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.”
Mayor Greg Kochuba, whose father served in World War II and the Korean War, spoke at the ceremony about the real heroes in our country.
“As I saw the third-graders singing, I can’t help to think about the environment they’re growing up in: the social media, television, Facebook; and it glamorizes so many rock stars, sports heroes, actors, actresses, and they lead them to believe they are the heroes of our country,” said Kochuba.
“But yet if they look just right out here you can see the true heroes that sit in front of us, our veterans,” he said.
During the ceremony, Mayor Kochuba quoted Col. Albert Nahas’ book “Warriors Remembered”: “It mattered not what politicians argued. It mattered not what history would reveal. We had no expectation but to serve where duty called us. We asked for no reward except a nation’s thanks.”
Those who serve in the armed forces do so because it is their duty to protect our country. Veterans Day is a time to honor America’s true heroes, those who put their lives at risk in order to protect our way of life.
The concept of Veterans Day began after World War I. The war officially ended in 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Fighting had ceased seven months earlier when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
According to the guest speaker at the ceremony Brigadier General Walter Mercer, this day was regarded as the “end of the war to end all wars.” In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as Armistice Day, to honor veterans for their service.
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name to Veterans Day.
“Now Nov. 11 is a tangible day to gather in order to honor and remember those who served to preserve what we hold dear,” said Mercer.
Mercer spoke to those in attendance about the importance of remembering those who have served, as well as those currently serving, and to not forget the sacrifices they make in doing so.
“Dedicate yourself to never forgetting all the sacrifices that veterans made for us and for all of our veterans across generations, to let them know that they live in our hearts and that we cherish their service to our nation each and every day,” said Mercer.
Those who serve leave families behind, who also sacrifice their happiness as their loved ones are out serving the country. Families are separated every day in order for our country to be protected by those serving it.
Before ending his speech, Mercer challenged the community to make Veterans Day every day, to honor those serving our country from the evils our country faces, sacrificing their lives to protect everyone else’s.
“Their courage in the face of danger, to me shines like a beacon on future generations through times of evil and uncertainty that we live in. Their sacrifice serves as a clear warning to our enemies that we will never abandon the call of duty, we will protect our home, our families, and our way of life,” said Mercer.
A proclamation was read and presented by Mayor Kochuba to the VFW and American Legion to officially designate Nov. 11 as Veterans Day in Colonial Heights. Following the speakers, several memorial wreaths were placed in the front of the war memorial, honoring veterans of our country.
The ceremony was presented by the American Legion Post 284, and the Robert E. Lee Post 2239 of the Veterans of Foreign War.
