It’s a day that’s easy to remember, and too important to forget.
“President Eisenhower got it right,” American Legion Post 370 Chaplain Ed McCloskey said. “When he declared Veteran’s Day a holiday, he made the official time of recognition the 11th hour of the 11th day, of the 11th month.”
On Monday morning a crowd gathered at the Highlands Veteran’s Plaza on Oak Street to commemorate and honor all of the men and women who have served in the United States armed forces.
Post 370 commander Paul Showalter couldn’t be at the ceremony due to a recent surgery, so vice commander Robert E. Smith took over as the master of ceremonies. Smith welcomed two distinguished guests – veterans from the Eckerd Living Center in Highlands.
He then turned the microphone over to Post 370 member, and Highlands Mayor, Pat Taylor.
“Today is a day where we acknowledge the service and the sacrifice of anyone who ever put on a military uniform,” Taylor said. “For so many of us, we served our country and then came home and were able to rejoin civilian life. But for others that was not the case, and the sacrifices they made during their time fighting for our country continued after they left the ranks of their branch of service.”
Taylor noted that veterans often associated with the term “the greatest generation,” who fought in two world wars, are to be held in high esteem, but added that a new generation of veterans also deserve a special recognition for their service.
“Men and women who served in conflicts that were never officially resolved do not get the thank you’s they deserve,” Taylor said. “Whether that’s a person who came home from Korea, or Vietnam, or a person who served in the more recent gulf war or ongoing war on terror, they are every bit as deserving of recognition. I recently spoke with a younger veteran who served in the Middle East and he had done nine deployments during his career. That willingness to continue to put his country first is commendable.”
Following Taylor’s address, McCloskey spoke to the crowd about the numbers associated with Veteran’s Day in 2024.
“I turned 81 in June, celebrated my 60-year wedding anniversary in September, the Legion celebrated its 104th birthday this year, and this post celebrated its 77th birthday,” McCloskey said. “More than 7 million veterans participated in Vietnam, 5.5 million served in the Gulf War, more than 2 million went to Korea. As the years go by and those conflicts dim, veterans talk about their times spent in combat and simply say “I was there.’ Their experiences may vary, branches of service may differ, but their sacrifices were shared.”
To wrap up the Veteran’s Day event, Post 370 members read the names of veterans memorialized this year in the Highlands Honor Walk. The pathway, which is paved with bricks engraved with the names of local veterans, winds in front of the police station through Veteran’s Plaza.
Anyone who would like to purchase a memorial brick in the honor walk can visit the self-serve kiosk in the Veteran’s Plaza or contact any Post 370 member.