Veterans Day evokes emotions, memories of war

By Staff
DOUGHBOY CEREMONY Col. Erik Hearon, wing commander of the 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field, was the guest speaker Tuesday at a Veterans Day event at the Doughboy Monument in Meridian. Hearon spoke about the importance of remembering veterans.
By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
Nov. 12, 2003
The Rev. Porter Amos was one of several hundred people who came to the Doughboy Monument in downtown Meridian on Tuesday in observance of Veterans Day.
The associate minister of Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church, Amos, 67, is a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War.
He said his thoughts were with those who are serving overseas and those who have fallen in war.
The carnage of war was on the minds of many veterans Tuesday, as well as the possibility of more to come.
Honor and sacrifice
The speaker for Tuesday's ceremony, Col. Erik Hearon, commander of the 186th Air Refueling Wing of the Mississippi Air National Guard, focused on the sacrifice of war.
Hearon gave an overview of the history of Veterans Day and its significance of being observed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, which was when the armistice was signed ending World War I.
He saluted servicemen and women who are currently serving, as well as their families, who have had to endure long separations from their loved ones.
A day for veterans
Sam Boswell, 79, had the same feelings as Rev. Amos. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he served as a medical technician in hospitals in both England and France.
He said he was too emotional Tuesday to talk, except to say that he had seen "some of the very worst" war had to offer.
Earl Callahan, 86, a resident of Clarke County, wore the same uniform Tuesday that he wore when he was discharged after World War II. Also a U.S. Army veteran, it was hard for him to hide his emotions when he talked about the combat he saw for 195 days straight in 1944 and 1945 in Belgium, France, Holland and Germany.
He said Veterans Day has come to mean more to him as the years pass.
For Robbie Alexander, 52, a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam, Veterans Day is a community effort to show appreciation for the people who have put their lives on the line for their country.