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L to r: Junior Vice Commander Norman Davisworth and Senior Vice Commander Marvin Post, both of VFW Post #8379, lay a wreath at the Veterans Memorial in Barnard Park.
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Members of the community pay tribute to veterans despite Wednesday’s rainy weather.
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Charles Barnard, Chaplain of VFW Post #8379.
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by Michelle Wolf
Despite the rain and gray skies, many area Veterans and active duty military personnel enjoyed an extra special Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, by attending special ceremonies honoring their service and sacrifice.
In Glennville, the festivities began at the Glennville Middle School. The students and staff hosted a breakfast for Veterans to show their appreciation to these brave men and women.
At 9:30 a.m., the Veterans of Foreign War Post #8379 and the American Legion Post #95 held a ceremony at Barnard Park in Glennville to honor all Veterans, living and dead. Charles Barnard, Chaplain of VFW Post #8379, spoke of patriotism and the lessons he had learned in life that came from the oaths he had taken.
“All of us should be proud to be called Patriots. The Golden Rule, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Ten Commandments prepared me for taking the Oath of Enlistment. My enlistment into the Air Force was, for me, a logical extension of my upbringing. When I went to serve in Vietnam, I went for God, my country, and my family, and I went proudly,” Barnard said.
He also spoke of the responsibility that Veterans and active duty personnel have in teaching younger generations the importance of service, sacrifice, and honor.
“When I am at a ball game and they play the National Anthem, and I see people who don’t take off their hats, they drink their sodas, and mill around and talk during the Pledge of Allegiance, I am appalled. We as Veterans and active duty military need to teach this generation and the generations to come to show respect for our flag,” Barnard said.
Barnard told of the various oaths he had taken in life, including when he had joined the Boy Scouts.
“I haven’t always been perfect in following that pledge, but it is still a guiding principle in my life. Thirty-eight years ago, when I was 18 years old, I took my marriage vows. Two months later, I recited the Oath of Enlistment. It is that oath that makes us Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines. I’ve never thought once that my oath has run out. I still bear allegiance to that oath, and am willing to return to the service of my country, should I be called upon to do so. That’s what makes us Veterans and Patriots. Let’s work together to bring up another generation of Americans who hold these truths to be self-evident,” Barnard said.
He added that Veterans can be thanked in many different ways, with a hug, a handshake, or a smile.
“I was standing in line at a restaurant, and there were two active duty soldiers ahead in line, and an African American woman behind them and in front of me. She asked them if they would be embarrassed if she bought their lunch to show them her appreciation for their service. The Soldiers, a young man and a young woman, had these big grins on their faces. I thought it was such a great thing to do for them, and I kicked myself for not thinking of it,” Barnard related.
During the ceremony, Senior Vice Commander Marvin Post and Junior Vice Commander Norman Davisworth of VFW Post #8379 laid a wreath at the Veterans Memorial in Barnard Park.
Those in attendance at the Barnard Park ceremony included Thaddeus Hays, who served for more than 30 years in the U.S. Army. His wife, Nidsa D. Hays, served for 22-1/2 years in the U.S. Army as well. Others who enjoyed the ceremony were Glennville Mayor Jean Bridges and Glennville Public Works Administrator Stan Dansby.
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