Montgomery remembers the sacrifice

By Laura Fitzgerald
Posted 11/14/18

Drums crashed while veterans, boy scouts and the Valley Central Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) marched past in the Montgomery Veterans Day parade and ceremony last Monday. Flags waved …

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Montgomery remembers the sacrifice

Posted

Drums crashed while veterans, boy scouts and the Valley Central Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) marched past in the Montgomery Veterans Day parade and ceremony last Monday. Flags waved in the wind while boots thumped against the pavement.

The ceremony began with a short parade including veterans, the Maybrook Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2064, Boy Scout Troop 31, the Valley Central JROTC, Boy Scout Troop 386, Post 521, the Maybrook VFW Post 2064 rifle team and the Boy Scout band.

The Valley Central JROTC marches in the Montgomery Veterans Day ceremony.

Montgomery Town Supervisor and Air Force veteran Rodney Winchell spoke at the ceremony. He said veterans protect our freedoms and our country. As of 2017, there are approximately 18.2 million U.S. veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Liberty and those that defend our liberty form an immovable bond of peace,” Winchell said. “Our villages, our towns live in peace because of you. Veterans are a living national treasure for me.”

Some veterans make the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives in defense of our country. Others bear the scars of the battlefield.

“Some gave all, gave up the two lives, one they were living, and one they would have lived as husbands, fathers and grandfathers,” Winchell said. “The ones that came home with visible and invisible wounds of war were called veterans.”

U.S. Navy veteran John Olsen, Jr., gave a short speech on the Veterans Honor Flight, a program that flies WWII, Vietnam and Korean War veterans to their respective monuments in Washington, D.C., free of charge. Olsen said his father, a WWII veteran, took the Honor Flight at age 85.

“That was one of the proudest moments he has ever had in his life,” Olsen said.

Olsen urged people to either sponsor a veteran or support the veterans as they leave or arrive. A crowd of people and community organizations escort the veterans as they leave for the airport or arrive home.

Colleen Schneider receives the Citizen of the Year award.

Orange County Legislator Mike Anagnostakis and New York State Senator James Skoufis said veterans should be celebrated every day, and promised to enact policies that would help veterans, who sometimes struggle with poverty, homelessness and health issues.

Anagnostakis said he has defended veterans’ housing rights and bus routes, and provided funding for the Orange county veterans memorial cemetery.

“I’ll continue to fight for veterans because I sure as hell know that they fought for me,” Anagnostakis said.

The ceremony also included a military medley, played by the Maybrook Boy Scout Band. Jessica Nelson sang “America the Beautiful.”

The Maybrook VFW performed a 21-gun salute while a member of the Boy Scout band performed “Taps.” Olsen placed a wreath at the Town of Montgomery Veterans monument.

Colleen Schneider was presented with the Citizens of the Year award and Walt Schneider was presented with Legionnaire of the Year.

The ceremony was conducted by the American Legion, AmVets, and VFW Posts of Maybrook, Montgomery and Walden.

Before the ceremony concluded, the announcer asked if any World War II veterans were present. Tony Marano stepped forward and waved to the crowd.

During WWII, Marano served as a radioman in B-24 Liberator planes in the Pacific Ocean. He said it was a great honor for all veterans to be recognized on Veterans Day.

Marano recently celebrated his 94 birthday. In an American flag sweater and a brown VFW hat, he smiles broadly, shaking the hands of friends and well-wishers.

“I’m just happy to be here,” Marano said.