Veterans Day celebrated in Palmer

PALMER — With flags at half-staff, and a cool breeze from the west, veterans from various wars celebrated their day at the Veterans’ Wall in Palmer on Tuesday.

Of course, also remembering the men and women who fought in past wars were the families and friends of those very soldiers, many of whom wiped tears from their eyes as speakers touted the day’s significance.

Approved by Congress in 1938 as Armistice Day, to celebrate the end of World War I, the official name of the holiday was changed in 1954 to its current moniker.

Veterans Day has become a ritual of ceremony and remembrance for all those who fought in wars throughout the history of the United States.

At gatherings throughout America over the past six years, the holiday seems to have taken on increased significance with two wars still ongoing in the Middle East.

At the ceremony, no war outweighed another in importance, and veterans from World War II to Vietnam to the war in Iraq came together to talk about what being in the military means.

“I just love to see other vets get together like this,” said a man who would only give his name as Wrecker, a member of the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club.

Chuck Hermans, another vet, said he thinks veterans care about other veterans more than the general public does.

Hermans said the recent low turn-out of voters is like a smack in the face to veterans who put their lives on the line to protect that vote.

The event at the Veterans’ Wall in Palmer was capped by a speech from David Rogers, the father of PFC Jessy Scott Rogers, who was killed in Afghanistan.

Rogers recounted the day the military informed his family of his son’s death, and he asked those in the crowd that Jessy not be forgotten.

With a gun salute, and bugles playing, the flags were returned to full-staff at the end of the ceremony, and hugs, handshakes and well-wishes could be seen throughout the crowd.

As veterans proudly wearing their uniforms headed back to their cars, the American flag flapped in the breeze, the sun illuminating it from behind.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.