This year’s Veteran’s Day ceremony in Westville was a little different. Speaker Paul Shannon said he wanted to focus on the solitary world of veterans….
{AUDIO: ‘’No matter how successful veterans might be, more often than not veterans are often alone – mentally, spiritually – each day and for the rest of their lives.}
Shannon served three tours of duty with the U.S. Army in Vietnam as a helicopter Crew Chief, and says he enjoyed every minute of it. He told the crowd at Westville’s Zamberletti Park…
{AUDIO: ‘’It is important for those who have never served to take a moment to understand the solitary world of veterans. Millions of veterans are and have been successful in all endeavors – doctors, lawyers, business people (and) a thousand other professions. Not all have PTSD and not all are troubled. Or not all are street corner homeless guys – although they exist, and they desperately need help.’’}
And Shannon noted sometimes it is difficult for veterans to talk to others about what they experienced…
{AUDIO: ‘’How do you talk to civilians about ‘fire for effect’, or ‘grid 7-3-1-0’, or ‘shake-n-bake’, or ‘frag orders’, or ’10 days in wake-up’ – that was one of my favorites? Or a thousand other terms that are mystifying to the real world? The truth is you can’t. You can’t relate to that. All of this adds to the solitary world of a Vet.’’}
Although the focus of this year’s message was a little different, the ceremony included some traditional things including a salute by the Honor Guard from Westville American Legion Post 51…
There was a large turn-out for the ceremony in spite of gusty winds and cold temperatures.
