“On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” – President Eisenhower during his proclamation of the first Veterans Day in 1954
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ended. Armistice Day would later become Veterans Day following the occurrence of WWII and the Korean War which necessitated including the many other veterans. Much of the United States seems to think of Veterans Day as a prime retail sales opportunity but many places take time to honor those that put on the uniform to serve the country.
Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, took to the floor of the Senate this week and spoke for a few minutes about Veterans Day and what his committee is doing to support veterans. “There are no Democrat veterans or Republican veterans; there are only American veterans,” said Isakson. “They don’t go to the battlefield as partisans, they go as Americans. They fight for us, they risk their own life and sometimes sacrifice it. We owe them a lot. In fact, in many ways we owe them everything.”
Isakson took time during his remarks to pay tribute to two veterans Isakson knew personally and who were both killed during their service. Jackson Elliot Cox from Waynesboro was Isakson’s closest friend at the University of Georgia who was killed in Vietnam. Noah Harris was from Ellijay and Isakson was close with his parents. Harris was a cheerleader at the University of Georgia on 9/11 and signed up to join the service soon thereafter. He died when he was 23 after his Humvee was attached by rocket-propelled grenades in Buritz, Iraq.
Those wishing to see parades, honor our veterans and commemorate the day will have ample opportunity to do so. The Georgia Veterans Day Parade in downtown Atlanta will start at 11:11 a.m. on Peachtree Street, south of Ralph McGill/Ivan Allen Boulevard. Marietta is also hosting a parade on Saturday at the same time. The parade begins at Roswell Street Baptist Church and ends at the Historic Marietta Square. At noon there is a ceremony led by Grand Marshal and Keynote Speaker Colonel Michael C. Varicak, USMC.
Woodstock and Douglas County will both be holding evening events. The candlelight ceremony at Woodstock will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Park at City Center. “The Parade with a Purpose” in Douglasville also begins at 7:00 p.m. The parade features a trolley in which any active military, reserve or veteran can ride and no reservations are necessary.
Catholic Charities Atlanta is also promoting Veterans Day events from around metro Atlanta and highlighting its AmeriCorps Peer Navigator program. It is a free program for military members, veterans and their families to connect to resources in their local community.
If you know a veteran who could use assistance in connecting to resources: https://catholiccharitiesatlanta.org/veterans/
To see Senator Isakson’s full remarks about Veterans Day and more on Mr. Cox and Mr. Harris, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD1SWtC1ejo
