Veterans Gather For Solemn Commemoration On 11/11

By Martha Coville

On Sunday, November 11, veterans of all ages, in uniform and in civilian clothes, together with their families, observed Veterans’ Day at the Charles Howard Peck, Sr, and Eric G. Blatin VFW Post #308.

About 60 people of all ages, including several families with small children waving flags and sporting flag pins, gathered in front of the building, sitting on folding chairs, or standing respectfully off to the side. Noise from Main Street floated in, and voices from cars called out “Thank you” as they drove past.

Past Commander Don Monckton, a veteran of Vietnam, presided over the ceremony, as he has for the last 20 years. He stood behind a wooden podium; behind him the American flag hung from a short pole, and further back, the VFW flag, the POW flag, and the colonial “Don’t Tread on Me” flag fluttered slightly in the breeze. Next to him, a red boom box sat on a stool. He turned the microphone on as music played “Proud to be an American” and a beautiful bagpipe version of “Amazing Grace.”

Past Commander Monckton served as the emcee and main speaker: his speech was moving and to-the-point. He cast the veteran as the “true American hero.”

“It was the veteran,” he said, “not the reporter, who secured the freedom of speech.” He called particular attention to family members of veterans, whose sacrifices often go unrecognized. And he paid tribute the camaraderie shared by veterans. The veterans in attendance, he said, “share a common bond with all veterans who have gone before them.” And he quoted George Washington, speaking of the veterans of America’s first war, the Revolution, who said, “We owe them a debt a gratitude, indeed a debt of honor.”

 First Selectmen Herb Rosenthal also spoke, giving a history of the grassroots movement behind the establishment of November 11 — formerly Armistice Day — as Veterans’ Day. The chaplain invoked a blessing, and recalled fallen veterans with the Christian promise of John 11:25: “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Soldiers laid a wreath, roses, and an American flag on a granite marker next to the building, in “Silent tribute to all our comrades, wherever they may rest.” The marker commemorates all soldiers whose remains where not returned to the United States.

To end the ceremony, four soldiers fired three rifle shots each; the smell of gun powder filled the air. “Taps,” sounding lonely and solemn, drifted over the audience.