Sunday, November 13, 2011

Veterans Day Ceremony

On Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Veterans Day ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater. It was truly a great ceremony and an opportunity to honor all those who served. It was good to commemorate the profound service and sacrifice our veterans have upheld in defense of our country. The weather could not have been much better. It was a great fall day with the sun shining.

The ceremony featured the United States Army Band, a presidential wreath ceremony, speeches by the President, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki, the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Order of the World Wars, Mr. Russell Vowinkel, and much more. The presence of all of the veterans provided an awesome opportunity to pay tribute to them, the fallen, and their families. It was a great experience overall and well worth the time.

The Army Band started playing at 10:30 and the ceremony started at 11:00. The eleventh hour on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, of the eleventh year of the century. I got lucky when I arrived right at 10:30. I ended up getting great seats near the front. The first lady and some important military figures, including the Sergeant Major of the Army, were seated just to my left. I thought it was weird because I see these kind of events happening on TV all the time, but it was something special to actually be there in person. I could not think of a better way to honor all veterans than being at that ceremony at Arlington.

- JPG

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