PORT ANGELES — When acknowledging how much this country owes to its men and women in the armed forces, it helps to take a look at the numbers, Operation Desert Storm veteran Colleen McAleer told about 1,200 people at the Port Angeles Coast Guard station’s annual Veterans Day ceremony Thursday.
There are 310 million people in the United States, said the Sequim resident, 7 percent of whom are veterans and less than half of 1 percent of whom are actively serving in the military.
“These numbers clearly demonstrate that our military is a small part of our population,” said McAleer, the keynote speaker at the ceremony held in a hangar at Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles.
Yet it is those few people, she stressed during her speech, who are responsible for protecting the freedoms the country cherishes and setting an example of strength and selflessness not matched anywhere else.
Honor with deeds
“We must honor them with deeds and not just words,” McAleer said, “from the greatest generation to the latest generation.”
The ceremony, labeled one of four regional Veterans Day events in the state by the Department of Veterans Affairs, was the largest on the North Olympic Peninsula.
It offered special recognition to veterans of Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield.
During Operation Desert Storm, McAleer, who is now a real estate agent in Sequim, served as commander of an electronic warfare platoon, responsible for intercepting Iraqi radio dispatches.
At the age of 23, the then-Army lieutenant was the military’s first woman to serve in such a position in combat.
McAleer said the conflict presented her with challenges but not on the scale facing service members today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Their sacrifices, she said, must be noted.
“To consider the impacts these individuals have on the world, defending freedom, protecting democracy, Winston Churchill’s famous words come to mind: ‘Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few,'” she said before thanking veterans and Coast Guard service members in attendance.
The veterans attending the ceremony represented all branches of service and conflicts as far back as World War II.
Ray Anderson, who served in the Navy during World War II, wiped his eyes as the Olympic Peninsula Men’s Choir and the Grand Olympics Chorus of Sweet Adelines International sang “God Bless America.”
“It’s something special,” the 81-year-old Port Angeles resident said of the ceremony.
“I’m always glad to see veterans recognized.”
For Larry Baysinger, a Vietnam veteran from Forks, the ceremony was all about respect — particularly for those who lost their lives in combat, such as his brother.
Baysinger, 63, said his brother, Lyle, died in Vietnam.
“It’s a privilege we can do this,” he said.
“Other countries don’t value freedoms or the people who give their lives for it.”
Baysinger said he was encouraged by the large turnout, particularly among the younger generations.
Continuing tradition
“To see the next generation, the kids, the grandkids, it means a continuation of that tradition and honor and support for our country,” he said.
After the ceremony, a barbecue for veterans was held at the Clallam County Veterans Center in Port Angeles.
During the event, Amanda Bacon of Sequim sang the national anthem, and Teresa Pierce of Port Angeles sang “Amazing Grace.”
Also participating in the ceremony were the Port Angeles High School band, the Port Angeles High dance team, representatives of Peninsula Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion chapters, Veterans for Peace, the Coast Guard station’s color guard and the Marine Corps League Honor Guard, which provided the 21-gun salute.
Some 40 to 50 motorcyclists with the American Legion Riders were among those in attendance.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
