Vets Stand Proud at Civic Center Ceremony

A sizable crowd gathered at the Glasgow Civic Center on Veterans Day to celebrate area residents who have served in the armed forces. The GHS band provided music, along with the EQ Singers. Joe Yeoman assisted as master of ceremonies and Jason Myers led prayers.

Mayor Becky Erickson delivered a noteworthy speech that covered the contribution of women in the military. Beginning with a general acknowledgement of the sacrifices of all American veterans dating back more than 230 years, Erickson went on to detail female contributions to national defense and liberty; service, the mayor pointed out, that has often been offered in disguise.

"Women have been part of the war effort since the Revolutionary War," she stated, "but in the early days of our nation they had to cloak [themselves] to serve alongside men."

The mayor's comments went on to describe individual women who served their country, including Sarah Rosetta at the Battle of New Orleans, Deborah Sampson Gannett, who served in the Continental Army, and other names that ought to be taught more throughly in schools.

Still more compelling were statistics offered to remind us that women made up 24 percent of aviation plant workers in WWI and numbered in the hundreds of thousands in active military service during WWII. She also pointed out that over 50,000 women served in some capacity during the Korean War and went on to give a short history leading up to the 2013 lifting of the ban on women serving in combat roles and the more than 165,000 women currently serving their county today.

All branches of military service were recognized independently during an armed forces medley from the band. The sight of friends and neighbors standing in turn to be recognized by their community was easily the highlight of the occasion.

Erickson closed her speech with the recitation of poem titled It is the Veteran, by an anonymous author. The fitting text includes challenging lines such as, "It is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. [...] It is the veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote." And finally, "It is the veteran, who serves under the flag, to be buried under the flag, so the protester can burn the flag."