{"id":51602,"date":"2020-09-11T19:27:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T01:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/veterans-call-on-young-people-to-serve-their-community\/"},"modified":"2020-09-12T01:27:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T01:27:00","slug":"veterans-call-on-young-people-to-serve-their-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/veterans-call-on-young-people-to-serve-their-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans call on young people to serve their community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Colors
Colors are retired by local members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Veterans Park dedication ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The city of Cortez officially dedicated the park at 830 E. Main St. as Veterans Park on Friday, which also marked the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the United States.<\/p>\n

More than 100 people attended the ceremony to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country.<\/p>\n

Veterans donned ball caps and military envelope hats with their branch, the war they served in and years of service sewn into the side.<\/p>\n

For Air Force veteran Rick Marsh, the park dedication was both a surprise and a great honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t go into the military thinking about anything more than what you\u2019re doing,\u201d Marsh said.<\/p>\n

And on the anniversary of the single deadliest instance of a terrorist attack in world history, the ceremony recognized the service of first responders, firefighters and policemen on this day in New York City 19 years ago.<\/p>\n

September 11, 2001, was one of the most consequential global events in modern times, and it \u201cchanged the energy in the United States,\u201d Marsh said. But the story of that day is \u201cnot taught in schools, just brushed over,\u201d Marsh said.<\/p>\n

He attended the dedication ceremony with Connie Mauro, the daughter and sister of veterans. She lived in New York City when the World Trade Center collapsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt still rings a careful emotion,\u201d Mauro said, \u201cone that is missing today: patriotism, the dedication to a country that stands for freedom and liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n

After witnessing the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and watching the personal sacrifice of her family members, Mauro said the \u201cdissenters\u201d and protesters of today have forgotten the freedoms and privileges they have because of the people who choose to serve to protect the country. And that freedom can be taken away in a second.<\/p>\n

Her father and brother did \u201cextra-long stints\u201d in the military; her brother in a motor torpedo boat in Vietnam, one of the \u201cscariest stints,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we are honoring veterans, and not with prejudice to the ethnicity of those who served,\u201d Marsh said.<\/p>\n

Mayor Mike Lavey, a Navy veteran, welcomed the crowd and gave opening remarks before local members of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented the colors.<\/p>\n

Several of them \u2013 including Scott Magnus, American Legion Post 75; Doug Biehler, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 44; and John Davis, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5231 \u2013 also spoke at the dedication ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means quite a bit to be recognized,\u201d said Vietnam veteran Bob Sanders. \u201cWe were not recognized when we came home; we were spit on.\u201d<\/p>\n

But dedicating a park in the town to honor veterans is a \u201chealing moment,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n

He served from 1966 to 1996, starting as an aircraft and flight mechanic and eventually becoming a chief of maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought I\u2019d go back to war,\u201d Sanders said, but his unit went back to serve in Desert Storm as the first refuelers in the area of occupation, including the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

Young people in America today have lived most, if not all, of their lives with their country in a global armed conflict. And the memory of the 2001 attacks continues to influence national and international policy.<\/p>\n

\"The
The veteran memorial at the 830 East Main Street park in Cortez, which was officially dedicated as Veterans Park on Friday, Sept. 11.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

But Sanders said he hopes Sept. 11 and the dedication of Veterans Park will remind young people that patriotism in America means \u201cserving something other than yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a veteran raises his hand, he is signing a blank check to his country,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n

Originally, the park was meant to be officially dedicated on the Fourth of July or on Veterans Day, but concerns about COVID-19 prevented that from happening, and the sign wasn\u2019t ready, Lavey said.<\/p>\n

But Patriot Day was the \u201cappropriate day, it is very significant,\u201d Lavey said.<\/p>\n

He remembers watching the towers fall on television.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was heartbreaking to see,\u201d Lavey said, but it is \u201cinteresting how it brought people together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether it is the bombing at Pearl Harbor or the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, \u201cin times of strife we can come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Lavey, it is important to honor anyone who \u201chelps the country and our community,\u201d such as first responders and law enforcement.<\/p>\n

In a small community like Cortez, this also means \u201cneighbors helping neighbors,\u201d and \u201cbystanders that help people in need,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lavey encouraged young people to \u201cthink of themselves as part of the whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake responsibility, see what you can do for your community, lend a helping hand,\u201d Lavey said. The best way to do that is to join local organizations and engage in local politics, the mayor said.<\/p>\n

City Councilor Orly Lucero gave closing remarks before the Daughters of the American Revolution, led by Tammy Powers, laid a wreath on the Jeep painted with the American flag that was propped behind the speakers.<\/p>\n

A moment of silence was held to honor those who lost their lives serving their country and veterans who have died.<\/p>\n

\"Left:
Left: The new Veterans Park sign revealed Friday.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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