Against a backdrop of a bright, sunny day that ushered in the unofficial start of summer, area residents gathered Monday at the Pricetown Church of Christ to honor those who answered the nation’s call to military service.
Hillsboro Auditor and U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lt. Alex Butler told the crowd of nearly 100 that though they had plans for fun, family and grilling following the ceremony, “the sad reality of the day is that thousands of Americans have died in service to their country so that we can enjoy our reality today.”
“Sometimes our heroes volunteered, and sometimes they were told to go,” he said. “But when the nation called, they answered nonetheless.”
Butler said that the same conviction that compelled Patrick Henry to declare “give me liberty or give me death, the same determination of General George Washington to cross the Delaware River on a cold December night, the courage of the patriots of New England, the same resolve of President Abraham Lincoln and the same grit of General George Patton “is what our Highland County heroes are made of.”
“We tend to elevate our heroes of the past to larger than life status,” he said. “But the same qualities that capture our adoration of those in the history books are in those we remember today, and in those among us in the crowd.”
Following the ceremony, three veterans were recognized with the presentation of “Quilts of Valor,” coinciding with the name of the nationwide effort at presenting quilts to active and veteran service members.
The Pricetown Church of Christ, which has presented 20 quilts over the past seven years to men and women who are connected with the village or the church, gave quilts of valor to U.S. Navy veteran Marty Bailey, and Army veterans Cliff Ellis and Jeff Yankey.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
