‘Duty, honor and COUNTRY’
Veterans past and present honored Saturday with ceremony
Past, present and future veterans were celebrated and honored during a ceremony at the New Mexico Veterans’ Memorial in Albuquerque on Saturday afternoon.
“Duty, honor and country are just as important today as they were so many years ago,” said Ken O’Keefe, president of the United Veterans Council of New Mexico. “We celebrate today to honor those warriors past and present who stood tall in the face of America’s enemies. Patriots continue to answer the country’s call to arms and serve in any capacity needed to protect our way of life.”
Several such patriots — young Army recruits — took the Oath of Enlistment during the Veterans Day ceremony.
“Today, another group of brave young men and women will swear to protect the Constitution,” O’Keefe said. “They will be signing that blank check just like the rest of us.”
Thane Myers, 22, of Albuquerque, was among those who took the oath and received a standing ovation afterward.
“I’m just doing my part and serving my country,” Myers said, adding it was “an honor” to be sworn in in front of esteemed veterans.
Myers will ship off to Fort Benning in Georgia on Monday.
Alfonso Luna, now 91, would have been about Myers’ age when he was drafted into the Army during World War II.
Luna, originally of Gallup and now an Albuquerque resident, served in the Philippines until the end of the war.
“I try to look for people my age who have served,” he said. “Most of them are gone.”
Luna said he enjoys ceremonies like those held on Veterans Day not only because they recognize the sacrifices of those who have served, but because they allow him the chance to connect with other veterans.
“It (Veterans Day) means a lot of good things and bad things that you remember,” he said. “I’m just grateful I’m here.”
Two of his brothers, Jim Luna and older brother Andrew, also served in the military.
“We just all thought it was the thing to do,” Jim Luna, an Air Force veteran, said.
Hundreds were in attendance at the event, including Iwo Jima veteran Navajo Code Talker Thomas Begay.
Keynote speaker Maj. Gen. Matthew Molloy, commander of the Air Force Operation Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, encouraged all Americans to work to serve the country and the community.
“We all should be compelled and inspired to serve, whether it’s in this uniform or without a uniform,” he said. “Whether it be in your church or well-rearing the next generation of great Americans.”