Every November, the Village of Walden hosts a ceremony and brick dedication at its Veterans Memorial Park, honoring hundreds of local veterans for their service and sacrifice. The Walden community returned to the park last Sunday, November 9 for its latest brick dedication, featuring several speakers and musical performances.

The ceremony opened with the flag colors presented by the American Legion Post 0158 and Valley Central JROTC, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Scouts of the BSA, the “Star Spangled Banner” performed by the Valley Central High School Pep Band, and an opening prayer from Reverend Chanta Bhan of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Both the VCHS Pep Band and DJ McKay played several more patriotic songs throughout the afternoon, including “God Bless America”, “Liberty Forever!”, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, “America Forever”, and “Operation Desert Storm.”

Captain Sinead Kirnan, pilot of the U.S. Air Force C-17 Globe, served as the event’s master of ceremonies. She provided welcoming remarks, shared her experiences serving in the U.S. Air Force, and explained the significance of Veterans Day.

“Veterans Day is not simply a day to recognize all those who have served. It’s a day to remember what their service means and what their sacrifices have made possible. Every veteran has a story; some served during wartime, others during peacetime. Some spent years overseas, while others served right here at home. Some come home with stories that they can share, while others carry experiences that are much harder to put into words,” Captain Kirnan said. “It doesn’t matter; Every one of them raised their right hand and made a commitment to this country. That commitment deserves our respect, our gratitude, and most importantly, our remembrance, and I don’t think anywhere in the world does this as well as the United States does.”

Becky Pearson, Walden’s mayor and a member of the Walden Veterans Memorial Park committee, recounted the creation of the village’s memorial bridge and park back over 20 years ago. She thanked all the people and departments who made both of these projects possible, and thanked all veterans for their service.

“In 2005, my first official duty as mayor was a dedication with Senator Larkin for the Veterans Memorial Bridge, and it was astounding. There were hundreds of people,” Pearson said. “Shortly after that, we had the help of the village board and were able to secure this property (the park) from the state DOT. There was a big crane sitting right here to fix the bridge, and this property was all rock. We added more rock, and it was very hard to plant on rocks. But with the help of the community council and a small group of volunteers, the Veterans Memorial Park committee was formed, now in its 20th year. The group shared ideas and thoughts to create this beautiful park in memory of all of our veterans; how appropriate it be right next to the veterans bridge.”
Christian Farrell, director of the Orange County Veterans Service Agency and an Army veteran, emphasized the importance of staying unified during times of division. He asserted that everyone should focus on loving and supporting their veterans, and that Veterans Day should be observed all year long.

“The things that divide us seem to grow more and more, and we need to shift our focus back to what unites us. Things like the love of children, football on Thanksgiving Day, and the love of our veterans. Our veterans are truly what makes America great; those men and women who have stepped up to serve our country for 250 plus years now,” Farrell said. “So less on the hate, and more on those who have stepped up and served our country. We are the land of the free because we are also the home of the brave, thanks to the selfless service and sacrifice of our veterans.”

Brian Maher, a state assemblyman and Navy reservist, described his experiences as a U.S. Navy reservist and his deployment over the last year. He explained how, while deployed, he frequently thought about his home in Walden and all the people in his life. Maher also thanked the WVMP committee for creating and maintaining its namesake.

“When you’re deployed, and you’re in a place in the world like the Middle East or East Africa, you really understand just how much you appreciate your home, the perspective that you have, how beautiful it is, breathing clean air, and seeing green grass and blue skies,” Maher said. “But more than anything it’s the people. For me, it was my family, my children, the people that I represent, and those who know me well. Being born and raised in the Village of Walden and proud Waldenite, I thought of all of you.”

“When Epic Fury came out, when I was over there, and when the Iran conflict kept going for months at a time, we had to go into bunkers. Every time I was in one of those bunkers, I thought about home,” he continued. “And every time I thought about home, it gave me inspiration and strength, and it helped me get through it. So I want to say thank you to every single person here for giving me strength and inspiration, because I thought about being at this microphone talking to all of you every single day that I was away.”

Nat Winum, a member of the WVMP committee, read the names of 11 veterans who were commemorated in this year’s brick dedication. These individuals included Army and Air Force Veteran MSGT David M. Baird, Army Veteran Gerald Edmund Broas, Army Veteran CPL. Frank F. Felicello, Army Veteran Willie “Shaquan” Hargrove, Army Veteran SGM J.H. Johnson, Air Force Veteran Fred C. Mamay, Army Veteran MAJ Brian Roman, Navy Veteran James A. Ryan, Navy Veteran Jamie L. Uszenski, Air Force Veteran Scott M. Uszenski, and Army and Air Force Veteran SGT Albert C. Zang.

The ceremony concluded with a military medley performed by the VCHS Pep Band, a closing benediction from Rev. Bhan, closing remarks from Captain Kirnan, and “Stars and Stripes Forever” played by DJ McKay.