Eagerly desiring to do so, I attended the Veterans' Day Ceremony at the Peace Triumphant Monument in Scoville Park this past Monday. (Fun fact: Back in 1925, Vice President Charles Dawes, an Evanston resident, came to Oak Park to dedicate this monument to those who had served in World War I from Oak Park and neighboring River Forest.)
A steady, cold rain had taken hold by the time I got to the ceremony at 11 A.M. The ceremony probably lasted for about 20-30 minutes, and the rain didn't let up at all during that time. But I stood there, a bit uncomfortably, through the prayers, songs, remarks, and formal gestures, like the presentation of the colors, the placing of the wreaths, a firearms salute, and taps. As I did so, I couldn't help but think of all those soldiers who were in active combat who endured conditions as bad as, if not worse than, what I was in at a ceremony to honor them. And to think of how they did this for much more than a few minutes, and couldn't follow quickly by some hot cider inside a warm building as I did when I went to the reception at the nearby Hemingway Museum. It really says something about what it meant for these soldiers to serve higher purposes in answering the call of country to head out to war. And it really speaks to how they deserve our continued thanks and support.
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