Thousands gathered in Port Angeles while 50 came together in Port Townsend, but no matter whether they were many or few, the sentiment was strongly the same all across the North Olympic Peninsula.
It was a time for gratitude.
Bill Trew of Port Angles, one of the more than 1,100 who arrived for Veterans Day ceremonies at Group/Air Station Port Angeles, said the annual celebration of the men and women who have served is important to remind citizens of the sacrifices that have been made.
“You don”t realize it until you see them all together,” said Trew, a Navy veteran who served in the Korean War.
“I think people tend to forget.”
Before and after the Port Angeles ceremony — an annual regional celebration — a long line of veterans snaked from a table where Veterans Affairs volunteers were enrolling veterans for benefits.
All veterans were encouraged to enroll whether or not they plan to apply for health care benefits.
The number of enrolled veterans on the North Olympic Peninsula may determine whether or not the area receives a “virtual VA clinic” where veterans can receive care without making the long trek to Seattle.
Marine Corps Reserves Col. Sheryl S, McConnell delivered the keynote address in Port Angeles.
She observed that the generation that fought World War II has been dubbed the “Greatest Generation,” a phrase forged by Tom Brokaw in his book of the same name.
McConnell noted that the men and women serving in the armed forces today have sacrificed much as well.
“They’re a pretty great generation, too,” she said.
In Port Townsend, the thoughts of Jack Fletch of Quilcene, a former Navy commander who served for 30 years, took a similar turn.
He said the ceremony at the American Legion Hall, Post 26, made him think about the new generation of servicemen and women.
“I was sitting there during the ceremony thinking about my grandchildren,” he said.
While there weren’t enough chairs in the giant hanger in Port Angeles to seat all the veterans and families who turned out for the ceremony, a much smaller group celebrated veterans in Port Townsend.
The ceremony there was led by the post’s newly elected commander, John Ettensberger, with the former commander, Adam Gaikowski, as his side.
Ettensberger chose to remember those who couldn’t be there.
A place setting was on a white cloth-covered table in front of Ettensberger.
“The glass is inverted,” Ettensberger said.
“They cannot toast at this time. The chair is empty. They are not here.”
Gaikowski, a rifleman during World War II, told how he got through the war.
His mother had prayed for him, he said.
“In my mind, I know who was taking care of me.”
