The time to raise the flags for Veterans Day, honoring those who served the country, is fast approaching. To commemorate the day, members of the Sampson County Office of Veteran Affairs and Veterans Council are inviting the community to the 26th Annual Veterans Day Celebration, being held Monday. (File photo)
File Photo
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month every year, Americans across the nation gather to honor those who have served. It’s no different in Sampson County, where the 26th Annual Veterans Day Celebration will take place.
The invitation to this year’s event is being sent out to the community by way of the Veterans Council and the Sampson County Veterans Service Office. The celebration is set to take place in Prestage Hall at the Sampson Agri-Expo Center, 414 Warsaw Road, in Clinton, and all veterans are urged to participate in this much-anticipated event. It was noted that while the program starts at 11 a.m., doors open at 10 a.m.
As per tradition, the event is open to the public and admission into the ceremony remains completely free. Keeping with recurring themes, this year’s celebration will also feature a keynote address from U.S. Army Col. Martin Falls.
Another highlight follows immediately after the conclusion of the ceremony, with a reception honoring all veterans. That portion will take place in Heritage Hall.
“We gather that day to celebrate, and what we do is recognize those who serve, have served, and those who are fallen soldiers,” said the Rev. Thaddeus Godwin, a veteran, himself. The ceremony is important, Godwin stressed.
“That’s what Veterans Day is for, remembering their service, their time and how they protected the United States of America. Also, to pay homage and to be able to have a celebration to dedicate the flags and the poppy flowers to let them know we remember what they have done and continue to do.”
“Then we all stand for that special flag, and while remembering, we sing our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner,” he said. “At this event, we have veterans who were in the war, we have mothers and fathers who have sons that were in the war, and brothers and sisters that remember those in war. And so, we all come together just to say thank you for serving in the United States.
“And for those who are still standing, they’re standing because they remember those who stood beside them, who are no longer here,” he added. “Those who have fallen in wars, especially from Desert Storm, the Vietnam War, World War II and World War I, and so, the legacy of their memory is this — good soldiers never die.“
Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.