LAKE CITY — Tuesday’s Veterans Day ceremony in Lake City carried a strong message particularly for the many youths in attendance.
“It is my hope that each of you leave here today with a higher degree of patriotism and pride for our country,” said Jim Haynes, adjutant of the American Legion Wilbur Jones Post No. 73.
A crowd of Lake City High School students was in attendance during the event, which began at 11 a.m. in Lake City’s former National Guard Armory. The school’s JROTC presented the colors, while the band and Ensemble performed before and during the ceremony.
The ceremony is jointly sponsored by the Wilbur Jones Post No. 73, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans.
Haynes spoke to the youths preparing to enter the “world stage.” He said that when he was younger, he joined the Air Force, through which he attended college. He has since worked with NASA and spent about 30 years as chief engineer for Uniden Corp.
“This country needs boys and girls who are willing to serve and protect” the nation for years to come, he said.
He joked that he had some “great news” for the crowd.
“I threw away the hourlong speech I’d prepared,” he said.
Instead, he showed a video that was targeted toward a younger audience but had a message for everyone, he said.
It focused on the importance of U.S. flag etiquette, such as removing one’s hat during the national anthem and properly disposing of a worn or tattered flag. Last month, the Wilbur Jones Post No. 73 held a flag retirement ceremony during which at least 75 flags were incinerated.
The video also explained that, contrary to popular belief, a U.S. flag also doesn’t have to be destroyed if it touches the ground.
This week’s ceremony also took place in the shadow of Thursday’s shooting spree that killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and injured 29 others at Fort Hood. The audience observed a moment of silence, followed by the playing of “Taps,” in honor of those who died and the families who are grieving.
“It’s such a shock to have something like this killing rampage right on our own soil,” Haynes said.
The event also included the draping of empty chairs with a black-and-white POW-MIA flag and the laying of a memorial wreath.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Wilbur Jones Post No. 73 Cmdr. Sonny Hallman asked the audience to give him a few minutes as he wiped tears from his eyes. He then thanked people who attended despite the rainy, windy weather caused by Tropical Storm Ida’s remnants.
He also thanked everyone who was involved in the event and recognized Wilbur Jones Post No. 73's oldest veteran, Melvin Shatzel, who served in the Pacific during World War II.
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