EATON — Preble County Council on Aging held a veterans’ recognition ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 12. All veterans in attendance were recognized with a certificate. pin, and a flag.
Speaker Jake Daily, Past DAV District Two Commander, read poetry and spoke on what makes a veteran.
“What is a veteran? According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) title 38 section 101, the term veteran means a person who served in the active military, naval or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable,” Daily said.
“Now, some veterans wear visible signs of their service; a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye, others may carry the evidence inside them – a pin holding bones together, a plate in their skull, a piece of shrapnel or bullet inside their body, or perhaps another sort of inner steel, the sols ally forged in the refinery of chaos, death, and danger of combat.
“In parades, however, may of the men and women who have kept the United States safe wear their badges, medals, and emblems and sometimes even their old uniforms. But overall, you can’t tell a veteran by just looking,” he continued.
“Who is a veteran? He or she is the cop on the street who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating out two gallons a day, making sure the armored personnel carriers were able to complete the mission,” Daily said. “He or she is the practical joker whose joking behavior is outweighed 100 times in the cosmic scales by four hours of extreme bravery near the 28th parallel in Korea.”
He continued, “When you think about it, this nation’s veterans have been called throughout our history to guarantee the great hopes of our founding fathers in a world tormented by tension and conflict. We as citizens of this nation should continuously endeavor to serve our veterans as well as they have served our nation, and we must honor their families for they have served and sacrificed as well.
“Our veterans have completed extraordinary accomplishments, and we do owe them an extraordinary debt for those accomplishments and their dedication. It is important to remember each Veteran represents an oath taken that include the possibility of death. I am reminded of a saying, which I think is clear and to the point.”
“‘A veteran is a citizen who at one point in their life wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life.’ That is dedication. That is patriotism. That is honor,” Daily said.
Daily was recognized by the Commodore Preble Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution with a Distinguished Citizen Medal. The DAR Distinguished Citizen Medal was introduced in 2013 to recognize individuals, 18 years of age and older, who fulfill the qualities of honor, service, courage, leadership, and patriotism. The DAR Distinguished Citizen Medal is awarded to emergency first responders; active duty military and veterans of the United States Armed Forces; and citizens who have contributed to the defense and security of the community, state, or nation in an exceptional manner.
The DAR also presented Vietnam veterans with a pin and letter from former President Barrack Obama, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The commemoration is a 13-year event which began in 2012 and ends in 2025.
To finish, there was a moment of silence for fellow patriots who did not return home, including the playing of Taps.
