Celebration emotional for veterans
Greg Burghardt
More than 300 members of the Mount Pleasant community celebrated freedom by honoring war veterans Sunday.
A ceremony at Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium that began with the Pledge of Allegiance, ended with veterans with tears in their eyes from the community’s support of their service to the country.
The annual event, sponsored by The Potter’s House Family Worship Center, 5346 E. Deerfield Road, was host to a variety of acts and guest speakers. Retired Lt. Col. Alva Cochran spoke of the importance of preserving patriotism, friendship and events like the Freedom Celebration.
Cochran served in the Korean War, World War II and Vietnam. As a veteran gets older, he said, the flashes of memories and images of things they had seen on the battlefield come back more vividly and more often.
“He had quite a story to tell. He shared for a few moments and was very appreciative of these yearly events to honor the veterans,” said Carla Ives of the PHFWC.
“Over and over again through all the years, we have veterans coming up to us with tears in their eyes and say, ‘No one has ever thanked me in all the years I’ve been home.’ We think they deserve the right to be thanked,” she said.
Ives said many veterans were at the event for their first time and were deeply touched by the ceremony.
“That seemed to be there was a real sense of honor in the room of esteeming these men who laid down their lives,” she said. “The freedom that we have, we take for granted, and it’s just so (we are) aware that it wasn’t free – that there are people who fought for us to have this freedom we have.”
State Rep. Sandy Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, gave an address honoring servicemen and servicewomen for their commitment to the country, stressing the importance of remembering those who have fought and those who are currently serving.
“We really might not enjoy the freedom we have without their commitment, for which we forever will be grateful for all the sacrifice that they have made,” she said.
Caul spoke about a Vietnam veteran she had talked to in Lansing, who was treated poorly upon his return from the war — being booed and spit upon.
“This group was less than welcome and we should have never treated our servicemen in that fashion,” she said. “We really did stumble at that time and hopefully we would never treat anyone who’s fought so hard to defend freedom like that.”
Letters were read aloud at the ceremony, including some from President George W. Bush, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Sen. Carl Levin. A $1,000 donation on behalf of the church also was made to the veterans home in Grand Rapids.
The Shepherd High School choir and the Potter’s House children’s choir sang to honor the veterans.
“When the children were singing their songs, you saw veterans wiping their eyes and just weeping,” Ives said. “They were so touched that there were children there who appreciated their service and to see patriotism being birthed in the hearts of the children just so touched them.”
Beaverton resident David Campbell II said it must have been horrific for veterans to have served in war. His father entered the service in 1967 and served in Vietnam from 1968-1971.
“No award — getting an Academy Award or a Golden Globe – in place of somebody would ever compare to the gift they’re presenting today to my father,” Campbell said.
Mount Pleasant senior Angie Asa said patriotism stirred in her heart.
“It was very touching. Tears came to my eyes,” she said.
The evening culminated at 7 p.m. when author Dennis Kutzner of Gettysburg Campfires shared stories from the Civil War around a bonfire.
“There’s a real curious importance today in our country, particularly because of what’s happened in the last couple of years with 9-11 and the Iraqi conflict,” he said. “We need to remember what those veterans are doing and what veterans in the past have done.
“When we celebrate days like this and Independence Day coming up, we’re doing that because men and women have sacrificed and gave their last full measure on battlefields for us to be able to have the freedom we have today,” he said. “When churches and communities do things like this we need to participate, and if nothing more than to take the hand of a veteran and say ‘Thanks for what you did.’”
