Larry Everett at the podium at the Orcas High School Commons, with George Jackson seated behind him, and "The Table for One" before him.
Veterans of the United States Armed Services were honored today at Orcas Island High School, as representatives of Post 93 of The American Legion spoke in a ceremony honoring the history of Military Veterans, including those who are Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.
“Our might lay in the justice of our cause,” said Larry Everett, as he recounted military service in combat from the days of the Revolutionary War, through the Civil War, to the wars of our lifetime — World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Everett noted that service to one’s country does not end with active military service but continues as veterans strive for peace. “The bravery and discipline learned in military service are the strong building stones on which our nation is built,” Everett said. “We must cultivate these virtues.”
George Jackson spoke in support of veteran benefits, including health care, scholarships, employment and family support services. He singled out the American Legion in assisting veterans’ families. He spoke of the impacts of military service such as homelessness and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Jackson noted that there are now 1.2 million women veterans. One of those veterans, Molly Bee Welkin, spoke in hushed tones of the rights and freedoms U.S. citizens enjoy, secured by those who serve in the military.
Everett explained the display of the “Table for One” for those POW/MIA veterans and their families, describing the rose, the candle, the lemon, the wine glass and the flag that illustrate their plight. He said that veterans have “lived and laughed and learned and loved as we have only dreamed of doing.”
Roger Congdon, ( a 1957 Orcas Island graduate) said, “Let us will to live as well as die for our country.”
Following the observance, Orcas Island School Superintendent Barbara Kline asked the assembled students for a show of hands of those who have a family member who has served. As almost every student raised their hands, Kline said, “It makes these stories more personal, and close to where we live.”
The ceremony will be repeated tomorrow, Veterans Day, at the Legion Post on Crescent Beach Road in Eastsound at 11 a.m. A luncheon will follow the service.
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