By Corey Poole

A Veterans Day Program was held in the Veterans Memorial Park Nov. 11. A moving moment occurred when several Veterans stood and saluted while the assembly observed a moment of silence and Taps was played in the background.

Scott Stetson was the keynote speaker. He thanked the Veterans present for answering the call to duty. He said it is their contributions that have preserved the fact that the United States’ armed forces remain the most respected in the world. He also recognized the families of service members and Veterans.

“There is no denying the difficult times that you have endured, bearing the burden and keeping the home fires burning,” he said. “With a deep sense of gratitude for the support you have shown our Veterans, we thank you for what you have done.”

While they come from many different walks of life, Veterans share some fundamental core qualities. They’ve embraced a value system focus on serving people, most of which they will never meet. They exemplify selflessness through the willingness to lay dow their life to preserve another citizen’s ability to live free.

“Many of these patriots didn’t ask too leave their homes to fight in distant lands,” he said. “They were called upon when the nation needed them most. They answered this call because they wanted to protect the nation that has given us all so much.”