Local veterans were celebrated for their sacrifices as family and friends looked on during Alachua County’s Veterans Day celebration on Monday.
J.P. Dunn, director of Alachua County Veteran Services, said there are almost 17,000 veterans in the county.
Dunn served in the Navy for 29 years as a helicopter pilot and recently retired from being the commanding officer of the Navy ROTC unit at the University of Florida.
“This is a testament to the county’s views on their veterans,” Dunn said. “Our county really takes them to heart and wants to make sure they are doing what they can to provide the veterans like myself with every service that they are capable of earning or have earned and deserve.”
Dunn thanked the Veterans Service Advisory Board and the Veterans Memorial Committee, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, the Alachua County Veterans Memorial Committee, and various veteran and nonprofit organizations.
“It’s a big event that’s brought together by a lot of volunteers,” Dunn said. “Across the county, patriots that are proud of their veterans can come out and help celebrate those veterans. We can celebrate the service that they did and the commitment that they showed to our country and to our way of life and honor them for their desire to protect us all. A strong veteran community makes the community stronger — there’s that desire to serve and step forward and protect.”