GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A ceremony honoring those who have served our country was held at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay Wednesday morning.
Veterans of all ages and branches gathered to reflect on what Veteran’s Day means to them.
“A lot of people can’t relate to it because they haven’t served,” said Larry Heyrman. “As the time goes on, memory fades out. The younger generation now, they don’t read like the older generation. And even things like second World War, it’s not even taught in books anymore it’s just a little thing…Like we remember our folks, our mother and father. They pass away and you don’t just bury them and let them lie – we keep the memory going.”
Heyrman served in the 1950s. He’s now the president of the United Patriotic Society of Green Bay, which hosted the event. The society was started by the City of Green Bay in 1930, and has been honoring veterans in similar ceremonies since 1945.
Heyrman led a presentation recognizing local veterans, while hearing a few words from local dignitaries about the impact of Veteran’s Day on the community – and the importance of not only recognizing veterans in the area, but providing help for them as well.
That presentation was followed by an outdoor ceremony, which began with a short speech from U.S. Army Veteran Rick Philipps.
“Veterans have come from all walks of life. All genders, all races, and all creeds,” Philipps said. “A veteran could be a successful person – over half of our presidents were veterans. A veteran could be your neighbor or your friend. A veteran could be the homeless person on the corner. The one thing they all have in common is they served their country honorably.”
Philipps served from 1972-1976, and was stationed in Korea when deployed overseas. He says it’s important to teach younger generations about the significance of the day – and why we recognize those who have served.
U.S. Army Veteran Rick Philipps speaks to a crowd outside the Neville Public Museum during a Veterans Day ceremony. (WTAQ/Casey Nelson)
“We all come together on this day celebrates a meaning for us and for those who came before us. We also come together to keep this days meaning sacred for those who will follow in our footsteps,” Philipps told WTAQ News. “One of the reasons we have these public gatherings on veterans day is so that we can bring awareness to the population of the fact that it’s a special day for special people…I try to recognize it every year because I’m here to be able to help do that I hope the generations to come that people come together and do the same thing to try to recognize us.”
The one thing he asks of future generations is to remember how Vietnam veterans were received upon their return home – and to treat our current troops better.
“The only thing that I would ask is that young veterans that are serving today be recognized for what they’re doing. They’re spending a lot of time trying to keep this country where it ought to be,” Philipps said.
State Senator Eric Wimberger was in attendance as honorary shots were fired and Taps was trumpeted through the air. Wimberger served as a a judge advocate in the Marine Corps from 2006-2010.
“I’m from that generation where was I very impressionable about 9/11…So there was a big calling for people my age to do that. I wish it was more people, but there was a particular significant event where people felt like there was a need to come and defend the country,” Wimberger said. “I served with all types of people and it reminds me of the unifying mission to try and obtain common goals.”
He reminds everyone that veterans chose to forgo the comforts of home and travel across the world to parts unknown to do whatever they needed to get done on behalf of their society and community.
“Everything we have is built on the idea that we have the safety and security to not have to deal with things that other nations have to deal with across the world…We can go to school and you can self-actualize. You can go an aspire to do things. And that’s all because we have the protections and the freedoms here that we fight for,” Wimberger told WTAQ News. “When you see a lot of these old guys walking around, they did a lot of things. You really can’t describe a whole lot of it unless you’ve gone through it. A lot of the sacrifices they made mean that we can walk around free.”
Also in attendance was Congressman Mike Gallagher, who served as a Marine Corps Intelligence Officer. He served seven years (2006-2013) on active duty. He twice deployed to Iraq, serving on General Petraeus’ CENTCOM Assessment Team as a commander of intelligence teams.
There are 21 million veterans in the U.S. – which is about 6.5% of the total population.
