MOUNT VERNON — Echoing the end of the First World War in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, a Veterans Day program began on Public Square, Tuesday morning, at precisely 11 a.m., to the simultaneous chiming of the Knox County Courthouse and Gay Street United Methodist Church bells. Over 100 people were in attendance at the solemn ceremony.
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The guest speaker, retired Lt. Col. Christopher Salvucci, USAF, invited audience members to put themselves in the shoes of past servicemen of various wars throughout American history, and to imagine what those soldiers were thinking as they recited the oath of service.
“The oath is the serviceman’s solemn oath to his country and a window into his heart and his feeling toward his country,” Salvucci said.
Salvucci then went through the pledge in detail, pointing out the meaning and implications of every phrase in the oath. He drew attention to the fact that the pledge demands the support and commitment of servicemen and women to each other and to the country. He pointed out that the oath specifically calls for loyalty not to the military, not to military leaders, not to the president, nor to political parties, all of which come and go, but to the Constitution itself, upon which this country is founded.
Salvucci served at numerous bases throughout the country and overseas, closing his career as an Air Force advisor to the Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Air Wing, based at Lahm Airport in Mansfield. He currently serves as an instructor at the Knox County Career Center and oversees the Junior ROTC cadets.
Commander Michael Rector of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4027 hosted the program, calling on Pastor Dan Whisner of the Colonial City Baptist Church, The Church at Chapel Hill, for an invocation and benediction to open and close the ceremony. Commemorative displays were placed at the base of the Civil War monument by representatives of the Gold Star Mothers, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the VFW Auxiliary.
A rifle salute was performed by the Knox County Joint Veterans Council. Music was provided by the Mount Vernon High School Band under the direction of Gary McCutcheon, including the national anthem, a medley of Armed Forces songs, and, in closing, “Taps.”
