On a breezy morning, the flags at Green Veterans Park whipped back and forth, but the wind couldn’t extinguish the eternal flame at the park or keep away a crowd determined to honor those who have made sacrifices to protect our freedoms.
“Each of you, as a veteran, has a story, a unique journey marked by courage and selflessness,” said Green Mayor Rocco Yeargin.
Retired Navy Commander JR Scritchfield provided the keynote remarks.
Scricthfield lives in North Carolina, but he grew up in Akron and was Yeargin’s childhood friend.
He stressed how veterans put the needs of the nation ahead of their own needs.
“It means having written a blank check to the United States of America payable with one’s life if that’s what’s asked of you,” Scritchfield said. “You represent the very best of what it means to be an American.”
Several people who spoke at the Veterans Day ceremony also recognized the sacrifices that the families of veterans make.
Rodney Yeargin, the father of the mayor, touched on this topic after the ceremony as he put his arm around his wife, Esther. He served in the Army in the Vietnam War.