LOWER?MAKEFIELD?- It was a day to say thanks, to show appreciation, to express gratitude for those who fought to give us what we have.
Lower Makefield residents cheered and waved during the township?s 6th Annual Veteran?s Day Parade Sunday. The ceremony that followed at Veteran?s Square on Heacock and Edgewood roads had some of those same people somberly choking back tears as they thought about why they were there.
As expressed by each speaker during the ceremony, which included the dedication of a new flagpole and the raising of a flag that recently flew over the U.S. Capitol, the assembled crowd was there to remember those who came before them and made gatherings such as Sunday?s possible.
?We need to reflect on the generations of men and women who have served to protect our rights, including the right to vote,? State Representative Steve Santarsiero said in his address to the crowd. ?The saying, ?Freedom isn?t free? is used so much it sometimes loses its power, but it really is true.?
United States Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick echoed Santarsiero?s sentiments, telling the story of saying goodbye Saturday to a nephew who is off to Afghanistan as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces.
?It?s so important to have monuments and remembrances such as this one,? Fitzpatrick said. ?It?s so important for the community to focus on the veterans and the families of veterans. We in Bucks County are very fortunate. We?re truly unique in that we have veterans of every conflict in our history buried in our soil.?
One veteran who not only attended the ceremony but served as parade marshal, U.S. Army Pfc. Edward J. Torres, felt the emotion of the moment.
?It?s an honor to take part in a day like this,? said Torres, who was recently was presented with the French Legion of Honor Medal ? the highest given to someone not from France ? for his participation in World War II.
Torres praised Lower Makefield?s efforts in remembering the men and women who fought for our country. Unfortunately, Torres said, Lower Makefield?s attitude is becoming the exception, not the rule. Continued...
?People are forgetting,? Torres, of Lower Makefield, said. ?It?s not like it used to be, especially when people say, ?Happy Veteran?s Day.? That shouldn?t be an expression. It seems like it?s more about the holiday now. But not in Lower Makefield. The time and effort they put in to this ceremony shows that. This doesn?t come together in five minutes.?Michael Pressel traveled from Pennington, NJ to ride in the parade. He and his wife and daughters rode in style, seated in Pressel?s father?s 1947 Ford.
?I wanted to show my daughters that there were people who fought ? and are still fighting ? to defend our freedom,? Pressel said.
Tom Hauserman certainly appreciated sentiments such as those. A member of VFW Post 6393, Hauserman fought in Vietnam as a member of the Navy. He recalled that he did not always receive the gratitude he did Sunday.
?I?m proud to be a veteran, and I?m very moved by what?s happened today,? said Hauserman, who was given the honor of holding the flag prior to its raising. ?I?m proud of the way people treat us. It wasn?t so great when we first returned home [from Vietnam].?
Army Veteran Kevin Treiber also addressed the crowd, comparing the plight of so many Bucks County victims of Hurricane Sandy to what is considered normal to those in battle.
?After Sandy, so many of us lost power, had to take cold showers, shave by candlelight,? Treiber said. ?Ask any veteran. That?s not new to them. That?s what their life was like every day. We have to think about how lucky we are.?
LOWER?MAKEFIELD?- It was a day to say thanks, to show appreciation, to express gratitude for those who fought to give us what we have.Lower Makefield residents cheered and waved during the township?s 6th Annual Veteran?s Day Parade Sunday. The ceremony that followed at Veteran?s Square on Heacock and Edgewood roads had some of those same people somberly choking back tears as they thought about why they were there.
As expressed by each speaker during the ceremony, which included the dedication of a new flagpole and the raising of a flag that recently flew over the U.S. Capitol, the assembled crowd was there to remember those who came before them and made gatherings such as Sunday?s possible.
?We need to reflect on the generations of men and women who have served to protect our rights, including the right to vote,? State Representative Steve Santarsiero said in his address to the crowd. ?The saying, ?Freedom isn?t free? is used so much it sometimes loses its power, but it really is true.?
United States Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick echoed Santarsiero?s sentiments, telling the story of saying goodbye Saturday to a nephew who is off to Afghanistan as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces.
?It?s so important to have monuments and remembrances such as this one,? Fitzpatrick said. ?It?s so important for the community to focus on the veterans and the families of veterans. We in Bucks County are very fortunate. We?re truly unique in that we have veterans of every conflict in our history buried in our soil.?
One veteran who not only attended the ceremony but served as parade marshal, U.S. Army Pfc. Edward J. Torres, felt the emotion of the moment.
?It?s an honor to take part in a day like this,? said Torres, who was recently was presented with the French Legion of Honor Medal ? the highest given to someone not from France ? for his participation in World War II.
Torres praised Lower Makefield?s efforts in remembering the men and women who fought for our country. Unfortunately, Torres said, Lower Makefield?s attitude is becoming the exception, not the rule.
?People are forgetting,? Torres, of Lower Makefield, said. ?It?s not like it used to be, especially when people say, ?Happy Veteran?s Day.? That shouldn?t be an expression. It seems like it?s more about the holiday now. But not in Lower Makefield. The time and effort they put in to this ceremony shows that. This doesn?t come together in five minutes.?
Michael Pressel traveled from Pennington, NJ to ride in the parade. He and his wife and daughters rode in style, seated in Pressel?s father?s 1947 Ford.
?I wanted to show my daughters that there were people who fought ? and are still fighting ? to defend our freedom,? Pressel said.
Tom Hauserman certainly appreciated sentiments such as those. A member of VFW Post 6393, Hauserman fought in Vietnam as a member of the Navy. He recalled that he did not always receive the gratitude he did Sunday.
?I?m proud to be a veteran, and I?m very moved by what?s happened today,? said Hauserman, who was given the honor of holding the flag prior to its raising. ?I?m proud of the way people treat us. It wasn?t so great when we first returned home [from Vietnam].?
Army Veteran Kevin Treiber also addressed the crowd, comparing the plight of so many Bucks County victims of Hurricane Sandy to what is considered normal to those in battle.
?After Sandy, so many of us lost power, had to take cold showers, shave by candlelight,? Treiber said. ?Ask any veteran. That?s not new to them. That?s what their life was like every day. We have to think about how lucky we are.?
Source: http://www.buckslocalnews.com/articles/2012/11/05/yardley_news/news/doc5097058e7d6fc953473899.txt
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