Vietnam Veteran Proud to Have Served

It’s Veteran’s Day; in honor of those who served, there was a special celebration. It is a time to offer honest gratitude to those who have survived to return home, and to remember those who did not.

The keynote speaker was veteran Josh Walker from Plymouth. He said the parade has grown a lot in the last 25 years.

“Those people willing to put their lives on the line, the freedom that we take for granted, would have long ago disappeared; our commitment to liberty should not waver, therefore neither should our commitment to those who have defended it”, he said.

Army sergeant Matthew Jones is a Vietnam veteran. James Nall, 71, spent two years in the U.S. Army and one year in Vietnam and received one purple heart and one bronze star. And in Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe says the state has found permanent homes for 1,400 veterans in the past year.

The local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America is also raising funds for a memorial at the Tuskegee VA campus and a women’s monument at the Montgomery campus.

“I have bittersweet memories of being in service”.

The Bressmans didn’t serve themselves, but were there because they say it’s important to recognize the sacrifice of those who did and still do.

In NY, Veteran’s Day 2015 always means big parade.

Church bells tolled across Europe on Armistice Day to pay tribute to the millions of soldiers killed during World War I.

“We appreciate it, we didn’t have this good of recognition when we came back from Korea”, Brown recalls. “My fifth great-grandfather, all the way up through my brother and I – everyone has served in the military from the Civil War on”.

“It’s meaningful to have them come to program”. “This is the first year home and it’s great exposure and that the kids are seeing us in uniform…very proud to be here”. “That’s when post traumatic stress started to kick in”, said Overby.

Sal Puco was one of those veterans in attendance on Wednesday. The November 11 observance of Veteran’s Day returned in 1978.

Vets from recent conflicts back to World War II were on hand, as well as Colonial and Civil War re-enactors, CBS Philadelphia reports.

“For many of us, our bodies heal but our souls carry the spirit of the war”, Weber said as he addressed the crowd of veterans. “Most of the guys I was stationed with were all white guys”.

Still, he said, other problems must be addressed. “I wish more people could experience failure, success, the joy and sorrow that I had because I do not think it gets any better than this”. “I don’t know if I could trust myself with a weapon”, said Nall.