I had the opportunity to watch the unveiling of a new statue and park for Veterans in Downtown Warren, Ohio.
I’ve never really gone to anything like this and to be honest I was not sure what to expect.
What I did not expect was the crowd, there were a lot of people there. It was nice to see, people honoring the Vet’s.
They asked the WWII vets to unveil the statue and there was some emotion once it was revealed, but the real emotion came when they played Taps, and I looked at the faces of the vets who had served in various wars. The emotion and expressions on their face, that in that short moment of “Taps” they were remembering their place in history, old friends and fallen friends.
It was an honor to be there, to photograph that moment in time. The flying of the flag, people looking for their loved ones engraved stones and old friends meeting up again, shaking hands and laughing about times gone by.
I heard this comment as I passed by two men talking, a man in his 50’s says to a man in his 80’s as he shakes his hand, “Thank you, it’s because of you and others like you that we are not all speaking German”. I have to say, I have nothing against, Germany or any other nation, but America was founded in God we Trust and speaking English and had it not been for the Veterans who gave of their lives, and time and energies, who knows what we would be a nation of if they had not!
Thank you for giving of yourself for me and my family.
If you see a Vet today, give them a hugg! they deserve it! If you see a military person, Thank Them!
Great photos, Lisa! I had to work this year, and we didn’t observe 11:00 in any way. I have to say it was weird – it was the first year in as long as I can remember that I didn’t observe a moment of silence. Maybe I’ll go have one of my own!