Veterans Proudly Honored in White Plains
White Plains’ Veteran’s Day ceremonies took place in the rotunda of city hall on Sunday morning, moved from Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Plot at the White Plains Rural Cemetery because trees blown over by Hurricane Sandy made the ground impassable. Despite the change, holy ground was achieved as the plagues on city hall walls bear the names of many soldiers from White Plains who have fought and fallen over the years. Their names embossed in brass brought them evermore present as taps was played, echoing in the courtyard and in the hall.
Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops attended, helping to position memorial wreaths for placement on markers at Rural Cemetery at a future date.
Representatives from White Plains Police and Fire Departments were also present and recognized by the military in attendance as members of the front line, the first responders during homeland emergencies.
The Veteran’s Day honoree, Ricardo Sheppard, was not able to attend due to illness, but he was remembered and celebrated anyway.
Colonel J.J. Dill, U.S. Marine Corp League, remarked that many of the traditions we have rooted in our military began with the American Revolutionary War. He spoke about the Battle of White Plains as an important event leading to the eventual turning of the war tide in favor of the Continental Army. “We started a service of trying to provide for a people freedom from living in tyranny,” he said. “We started a service to provide a people freedom to choose their lives, to live as they wanted to. That is where the spirit of the U.S. military was born. That despite the odds, that no matter who we were fighting, and no matter who we would fight in years to come, that the idea of providing a choice of freedom to people would always win. And that spirit has lasted with our veterans in every fight that we have had. We have never looked to conquer lands. We have never asked for lands for resources from any place we fought. We go there in most part to bring freedom and the opportunity for people to live without oppression. The only land we have ever asked for in certain wars, in particular World War I, has been for a small piece of land to bury our veterans who fell,” he said.
We have served in World War II, in Korea, Vietnam and now in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dill continued. “These soldiers beside me have served numerous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. We serve on behalf of all of you each day that we are out there.”
