Dozens of military veterans and community members gathered Thursday in Warrenton to celebrate the men and women who have served their country in uniform. The annual Veterans Day ceremony, held at the Fauquier Veterans Memorial on Hospital Hill, featured music from the Liberty High School marching band; the school's Junior Officers' Reserve Training Corps also participated.
"It doesn't matter if they fought in a hot war zone or served in a cold one. Their service mattered," said Lt. Col. Linda Jolley in a passionate keynote speech. Jolley, a retired U.S. Army nurse who grew up in Crest Hill, especially emphasized the importance of supporting veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
More than 30,000 military veterans have killed themselves since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, she pointed out, more than four times the number of service members who have been killed in combat during the same time period.
Lt. Col. Linda Jolley, a retired U.S. Army nurse, gives the keynote address at a Veterans Day ceremony held Nov. 11 at Fauquier Hospital.
Jolley particularly called out the "courage" of the family of Staff Sgt. Craig Pruden, a Woodbridge native and an Army combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Pruden "lost his battle to PTSD on Sept. 15, at the age of 33 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky," according to an obituary published last month in the Fauquier Times.
She also encouraged those gathered to seek out the stories of elderly veterans, especially those from the World War II generation; only 240,000 of the 16 million men and women who served in that war are still alive. "We must hear their stories now," she said.
Local military veterans salute during a Veterans Day ceremony held Nov. 11 at Fauquier Hospital.
The ceremony was as joyous as it was somber, however, as veterans exchanged smiles and stories in a shared sense of camaraderie. At one particularly sullen part of her speech, Jolley asked the crowd: "Can I get a 'hoorah!' before I cry?" Those assembled enthusiastically obliged.
The annual Veterans Day ceremony is organized by the Fauquier Veterans Council, composed of American Legion Posts 72 (Warrenton), 247 (Remington) and 360 (Warrenton) along with Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts 7728 (Bealeton) and 9835 (Warrenton).
American Legion Post 247 Commander Joanne Smoot, American Legion Post 72 Commander Claude Davenport and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7728 Commander Russell Claar salute as Mia Cabrera, a member of the Liberty High School JROTC, lays a wreath during a Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony at Fauquier Hospital.
Drum Major Autumn Mullins directs the Liberty High School marching band during a Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony at Fauquier Hospital.
Members of the Liberty High School JROTC stand at attention during a Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony at Fauquier Hospital.
Local military veterans salute as members of the Liberty High School JROTC color guard stand at attention during a Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony at Fauquier Hospital.
A bugle player performs "Taps" at the conclusion of a Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony at Fauquier Hospital.
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PHOTOS: Community members gather to celebrate military veterans - Fauquier Times
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