This year’s Montgomery County Veterans Day celebration was held on Nov. 9, though the day started with the annual Veterans Day Breakfast hosted by the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce at APSU’s Morgan University Center.
The featured guest speaker at the breakfast was MG Brett G. Sylvia, Commanding General, 101 st Airborne (Air Assault) & Fort Campbell.
Then, by 9 a.m., a crowd had gathered at the Montgomery County Court House for a recognition ceremony to celebrate the Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization’s 80 years of service to the community.
The ceremony was opened by MCVSO Director Hector Santos.
American Legion Post 289’s Color Guard posted the colors, Stella McKnight and the CHS Choirs provided the music, and Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden welcomed everyone to the event. Dr. Andrew Kester, US Army (Ret.) was this year’s guest speaker.
A wreath-laying ceremony concluded the ceremony with the playing of “Taps” by bugler, MCSO Sergeant Angela Christian.
A smaller-than-usual crowd lined the streets for this year’s parade, as the threat of rain loomed. Themed “80 Years of Service by the Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization,” the spirited parade began and ended on the APSU campus.