While many Veterans Day ceremonies will be held today, some were held Sunday on the traditional day - Nov. 11 - with Ashland holding an outdoor program at 11 a.m. and Mahanoy City paying tribute to veterans in the evening.
The morning event in Ashland began with members of the American Legion Bernard J. Dolan Post 434 and Veterans of Foreign Wars O'Donnell-Martin-Baldino Post 7654 walking east on Centre Street from the VFW post to the Veterans Memorial at Centre Street and Hoffman Boulevard with an Ashland police escort and traffic control provided by the Ashland Fire Police.
The veterans lined up facing the memorial, with Ashland Mayor Dennis Kane offering brief remarks.
"I'm not a veteran myself, but it gives me great pride to be able to march down the street with you," Kane said. "Someone said that we experience important holidays in November. One is Thanksgiving Day, when we put aside a day to be thankful for everything that we have. But a more important holiday is Veterans Day, when we thank the veterans for being able to have what we do have, and because of them we wouldn't enjoy the freedoms we do today."
Kane thanked all veterans on behalf of the residents of Ashland.
VFW Junior Vice Commander Wilmer Quick offered the prayer to God, saying, "As comrade after comrade depart, we march on with our ranks growing thinner. Help us to be faithful unto Thee and one another."
The honor guard of David Hartz, Thomas Dando Sr. and John W. Quick presented a three-round rifle volley, followed by VFW Quartermaster Daniel Quick playing taps.
A meal was provided at the VFW post for all veterans and the public.
In the evening, Mahanoy City Elks Lodge 695 held its own Veterans Day program with a roast beef dinner at the East Centre Street lodge. Franklin R. Fetter, chairman of the lodge's National Service (Veterans) Committee, welcomed everyone and Elks District State Vice President Gerard A. Kufrovich offered the invocation and the benediction. Lodge member Kathy Wufsus sang the national anthem and entertained at the end of the program, singing and playing the guitar.
Lodge member James Mayberry introduced his friend, Curt Evert, as the main speaker. A resident of Mount Carmel and a 1984 graduate of Mount Carmel Area High School, he is the postmaster at the Mount Carmel Post Office. Evert is a U.S. Army veteran, served three stints in the Army National Guard and served during Operation Enduring Freedom as a staff sergeant.
Evert spoke of the many members of his family who have served in the military and said he is proud to continue in the family tradition.
"I am so humbled to be here before all of you," Evert said, referring to the veterans in attendance. "Patriotism comes from when you're a child. It's something in your heart. When you hear your parents talk about Audie Murphy and Patton and MacArthur and talk about Veterans Day, the parades and ceremonies like this and the ceremonies at the cemeteries where they do the 21-gun salutes on Memorial Day, I think that's where you learn patriotism."
He added, "You don't have to be a veteran to have patriotism, but I can guarantee that if you are a veteran, you have patriotism. There is no doubt about it."
Lodge Secretary Linda A. Fetter then announced that each veteran in attendance was being presented a certificate of recognition for service to the country. Suzanne Mayberry, a member of the lodge and the veterans committee, distributed the certificates.