Ceremonies across metro Detroit honor those who served on Veterans Day
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Communities held ceremonies across metro Detroit to honor the forgotten and those who remind us to never forget.
From downtown Detroit, to Sterling Heights, numerous communities paused to thank the local men and women who served the country on Veterans Day.
In the early morning hours, a crowd gathered at the Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority for a flag raising at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in downtown Detroit. Ryan Love, the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Director, spoke to a crowd who gathered early Monday morning.
"Veterans Day is a reminder to our nation of the sacrifice, resilience, and commitment of the brave individuals who stood up and continue to stand for our freedoms," Love said.
A couple of miles away at Elmwood Cemetery on the city’s east side, a tradition honoring Black and Native American troops from the Civil War wrote another chapter in its 40-year legacy.
"They suffered a lot of hardships before the Civil War and even after the Civil War," said Yolanda Burgess with the Detroit Tuskegee Airmen Museum. "This is our honor to honor them, and to remember them. That’s why we focus in on them because no one knew about them until modern history."
"We do enjoy it, and we want people to come because it is important for us to celebrate the men and women who have kept our country free," Air force Veteran Helen Gentry said.
In Sterling Heights, city leaders, including Mayor Michael C Taylor, joined veterans in unveiling its Gulf War Memorial.
"My call to everyone here today is be worth it," said Taylor. "Be worth the sacrifice that they made. Whether they came home alive or they gave the ultimate sacrifice, our veterans have done something beyond any of us can ever repay."
US Senator-Elect Elissa Slotkin also honored veterans at a ceremony in her hometown of Holly. Many joined her there to recognize veterans for serving the country.
"It’s great to come out here and honor the people who have given up their time and talents to help us be free; to be able to do this sort of event," said Ron Smith, the Great Lakes National Cemetery Advisory Council President.
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