Veterans Day 2008
by Don Martin ~ November 12th, 2008
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month passed quietly in Jasper.
Photo Courtesy Mari Livsey - Know Pickens.com
There was a parade of vintage military vehicles, motorcycles, the Pickens County High School Band, local Boy Scouts and quite a few “vintage” veterans. A much larger crowd of veterans, spouses, friends and supportive citizens waited patiently for the parade to wind its way to a conclusion in front of the Court House. It was a friendly, but reserved and quiet crowd that milled around the Veteran’s Monument on the front courtyard of the court house. The monument carries the names of all the residents of Pickens County who gave their lives for our freedoms during wars from World War I to just last year in Iraq.
The original holiday, Armistice Day, marked the official end of hostilities on the Eastern Front in World War 1 on the 11th Hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The first Armistice Day was marked in 1919 in the United States and it continued to be a recognition of WW1 veterans until 1954 when it officially became Veterans Day and recognized all veterans. Today there are about 25 million Veterans in the United States.
Photo Courtesy Mari Livsey - KnowPickens.com
As the local parade ended the wind was howling, the temperature was dropping and it was threatening a little rain. In deference to the crowd that had been more or less fully assembled since 10:30 the organizers moved up the start time and began the ceremonies a little early. There was a brief bright note as the band played the official songs of each service and all the veterans filed forward to be recognized with their service colleagues. The Master of Ceremonies welcomed everyone and then the weathered voices of the crowd lifted our National Anthem over the chords of the band as three young boy scouts carefully raised the flag to full staff and ever so reverently lowered it back down to its proper position for the day at half-staff. After the invocation there was a measured, respectful reading of all the names on the monument.
There followed a very touching and telling scene as the Ceremonial Wreaths were placed at the Monument and family representatives were escorted to stand watchful guard with quiet, respectful Boy Scouts protecting each Wreath. An then through a quirk of coincidence, or perhaps providence, at just about 11 minutes after the hour a 21 gun salute pierced the quiet solitude and then, it hardly seem possible, but just a few seconds into the 11th minute, maybe it was exactly 11 seconds, two buglers began to echo the plaintive call of Taps and the wind and the marble courthouse took those notes and wrapped us in them.
For all who have served, all who serve now and all who will be called on to serve one day, a grateful nation and a grateful community says Thank You and God Bless.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month passed quietly in Jasper.
