Veterans Day
Same spirit in a new location
for Sunday ceremony in HR
Take time out to honor our nation’s veterans on Sunday and
Monday.
Veterans, totaling nearly 25 million people, served from
Flanders to Fallujah, and with soldiers dying each day in Iraq
and Afghanistan, the contribution of our veterans stands as a
bright as a desert sun.
Veterans Day, officially, happens Sunday, though the
government holiday is observed Monday.
Veterans will tell you that it means a great deal to see
children attend the ceremony. Not everyone is able to attend,
but those who do are bound to witness a moving ceremony.
The event changes a little each year, and one big change in
2007 is the location: This year it will be at the Armory, and
this year it is on Sunday.
The Armory will be a comfortable inside location for older
folks, but still a highly meaningful one. The Armory is the
headquarters for National Guard in Hood River County, which
means it stands as a proud symbol of the devoted service by
National Guard personnel across the country.
Since 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall, the number of
U.S. military on active duty has been cut by one third, yet
deployments have gone up 300 percent, according to the American
Legion. With the increased — call it pivotal — role of National
Guard in the ongoing presence in Iraq, few consider the Guard as
just “weekend warriors” anymore. Many have stepped, literally,
to the front.
Given the integral role of the Guard, bringing the Veterans
Day service to the Armory gives the building at 12th and Belmont
added vitality. The Armory is one of our main community centers:
events such as blood drives, receptions, and middle school
dances are welcomed to the space on a regular basis.
For Veterans Day, middle schoolers and all other children get
the day off. Meanwhile, many, but not all, workers get the day
off. Families will in many cases plan outings. Through it all,
it is a simple matter to take a quiet moment to reflect on the
cause of freedom and the recurring fight for liberty, or to say
thank you to a veteran, for their service to the country.
Our thanks to all veterans and their families.
