Honoring Vets in Clarendon

To observe Veteran's Day, a crowd gathered in Clarendon at the site of the War Memorial, which is dedicated to Arlington citizens who have died in past wars. For many of the veterans present, this is an important annual observance.

 "We celebrate the veterans, living and dead," said Jim Tingler adding, "And it brings the community together to honor all veterans."

It was a sentiment echoed by Bonnie Britten: "It's especially nice because all of the veterans' organizations work together to put together this event at the Clarendon Memorial."

When asked about the memorial, Brendan Whelan, a member of Post 139 for 35 years shared a brief history. According to Whelan the memorial had originally been built with stones from Arlington Cemetery. The memorial was moved to a location in Courthouse and was moved back to its present location when the park was completed in the 1990's.

Klaus Dahlke, commander of Post 139 introduced numerous veterans groups who presented wreaths to rest at the memorial. The ceremony included prayers, a moment of silence, and "Taps" played by Michael Barrios.

In his remarks to the crowd Dahlke said, " Thousands of battles of land, sea and air echo the glory of their valiant deeds. Under the quiet sod, or beneath the murmuring waves, their bodies sleep in peace." He added, "But in the destinies of veterans, their souls go marching on. Because of them our lives are free, because of them our nation lives."

After the ceremony everyone was invited to attend a reception at V.F.W. Post 139.   

Vincent Santolini noted that it's important to pause and reflect on the significance of the national holiday. "Once you've been a soldier, you're always a soldier especially when you start getting older," he said.