Showing gratitude
Veterans Day recognized at new 9/11 Global War on Terrorism Memorial
Scores of people turned out Wednesday for a Veterans Day remembrance and ceremony at the new 9/11 Global War on Terrorism Memorial hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4748 in Tuolumne.
Benaiah Stofle, 42, of Tuolumne, brought his wife and three children, ages 1, 6, and 16, to pay his respects to military veterans of all ages.
“It's a day for those that have served and given their all for the country,” Stofle said a few minutes before the ceremony began at 11 a.m. “Those who fought to maintain our freedom, it's a day to remember them and thank them for their service.”
Stofle said his grandfather served in World War II and he had a cousin in the Army stationed right now in Germany. His daughter, 16, was going to sing the Star-spangled Banner at the ceremony with Jazz@8, student vocalists from Summerville High School and Connections Academy.
“We have a lot of gratitude for those who have served,” he said. “A lot of gratitude.”
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Danny Hillier, 76, chaplain for VFW Post 4748, gave an opening prayer and asked God to “bestow your blessings on these veterans and their loved ones who have come today, and on those who have come to show their support.”
The air was still while the
Jazz@8 performers sang the national anthem, then a little breeze stirred the American flags and other flags on display at the ceremony, as well as brown leaves on the tall trees outside the Tuolumne Veterans Memorial Hall.
At least a dozen military veterans were in attendance, representing the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force.
Thomas Benson, 11, a sixthgrader at John Adams Academy in Roseville, was invited up to a podium to read his entry in a Patriots Pen Essay Contest. He spoke about Nathan Hale, a Connecticut schoolteacher and captain in the Continental Army, who was executed by the British in September 1776 for spying.
Historians say Hale's last words included, “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
“Patriotism starts with gratitude for the brave men and women who have served,” Benson said, before he was awarded a $100 scholarship check for his essay.
Army veteran Aaron Rasmussen, who served in Iraq, told the audience he was recently moved by a social media post from a nurse who has been working overtime in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Rasmussen said the nurse's unheralded sacrifices reminded him of why he and his fellow veterans helped back the new 9/11 Global War on Terrorism Memorial.
“She felt she wasn't being thanked or recognized for her sacrifices,” he said. “I want to say thank you for your service. That's the point of this 9/11 memorial, to recognize the firefighters, EMTS, the medical first responders. It's important that we thank them. Dear medical, fire, and law enforcement staff, we thank you for your service. It's the highest honor you can receive from others.”
Mindy Lancaster sang “God Bless America” and some people sang along. A Cal Fire air attack plane appeared to do a flyover to acknowledge the ceremony at that moment, but it was a training flight, not a planned maneuver, a Cal Fire TuolumneCalaveras Unit spokesperson said later.
County Supervisor Karl Rodefer, who served 23 years in the Air Force beginning at age 17, including cadet service in Vietnam and as a pilot of F-4 Phantoms, F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-16V Vipers, said this year's Veterans Day is as important as any other.
“Any Veterans Day, any year, it's a special day,” he said. “Back in World War II, almost every family was touched by the war. Every family had someone in harm's way, serving in the war. These days, a much smaller percentage of society serves. But that small portion of our society still takes on the same sacrifices and risks, and today is an opportunity to say thanks.”
Frank Smart, 80, who served in the 1st Cavalry, U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969, made a point to show a visitor the artifacts on display from Sept. 11, 2001, at the new 9/11 Global War on Terrorism Memorial.
“This is a piece of steel from the Twin Towers,” he said. “This is limestone from the Pentagon. And this is sandstone from a field where Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.”
A plaque nearby states that Summerville High School alumnus Candace Olsen, class of 2019, raised more than $94,000 for the 9/11 Global War on Terrorism Memorial for her senior project.
Officers and members of the Keith Dale Wann VFW Post 4748, the builders of the memorial, expressed their thanks to Olsen.
Members of VFW Post 4748 are still selling paving bricks and paving stones for the memorial project. On Wednesday they were also selling tickets for the post's 11th Annual Firewood Raffle, for one cord of oak delivered in Tuolumne County, with the drawing to be held at the 2020 Tuolumne Christmas Parade.
Proceeds from the firewood raffle are to benefit local scholarships.
Veterans Day first began as a remembrance of the end of hostilities in World War I, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Historians say more than 17 million military personnel and civilians were killed in the conflict, known then as “the war to end all wars.”
Today, Veterans Day ceremonies are intended to honor and thank all men and women who
have served in the nation's Armed Forces.
For more information about the VFW Post 4748 9/11 Global War on Terrorism Memorial and tickets for the 11th Annual Firewood Raffle, visit https:// vfwpost4748.org/ online.