Honoring vets

Written by Sara Poirier Correa and John Kovach
Thursday, 05 November 2009 09:41

When Armistice Day was first observed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, marking the end of what was then The Great War, it was hoped that the war to end all wars was over, that such hostilities would never again erupt.

That hope has yet to be realized, and families throughout the community continue to feel the pain caused by war. Young men and women who are our neighbors are giving their all in service to this country. Their families are also making sacrifices, living each day not only with the absence of loved ones, but with the fear of what the next phone call or news report might convey.

Pause at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, to remember those toiling in faraway lands to defend democracy. Reach out to support their families, whose thoughts each day are preoccupied with an appreciation for service many feel only on Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

The town will mark the occasion with its annual ceremony on God’s Acre, beginning next Wednesday at 10:57 a.m., pledging allegiance to the flag and reciting the poem “In Flanders Field.”

Walter Stewart Jr. will be this year’s main speaker. He joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1959, attended college at Brown and law school at UConn, then reported to Quantico, Va., attending the Marine Corps’ platoon leader infantry training course. He served as legal officer for the First Marine Aircraft Wing in the Republic of South Vietnam, then as staff judge advocate for the Atlantic Fleet Marine Force back at home. His experience is something to which many civilians cannot relate, which is why hearing his story at events like the town’s Veterans Day ceremony is so important. Everyone should have an understanding of what life is like for those who fight to protect us because they put their lives on the line for our freedom.

Many of those who serve today signed up after America was attacked in 2001, the first time since 1941. They now find themselves in arid deserts and frigid mountains, not on the shores they volunteered to defend.

Veterans Day gives a chance for all who benefit to thank those who serve, not just those who gave their lives, for their sacrifices. Inside those who serve, and their families, burns a hope that never again will another generation march off into combat.

— JK and SPC