A Starke County Veterans Day parade was held yesterday in downtown Knox. Several members of the Knox VFW Post #748 and the American Legion attended the ceremonies and were part of the parade. Travis Flora, a veteran of the Somalian War talked during yesterday’s program.
“I went to Somalia in December of 1992 and came back in May of 1993,” said Flora. “Of course it’s a third world country so it’s not a pleasant experience. The most important experience I think is the camaraderie I had with my fellow Marines and the spirit of the corps that we had. We went a long time without a hot meal and sleeping on cots and things like that, but in the end we figured this just made us better people.”
Flora said Veterans Day means so much to him as a veteran.
“There’s so many people that came before us and did so much and sacrificed, sometimes in the ultimate way, and so there’s never a day that goes by that I don’t think about veterans – especially on November 11.”
If you know a veteran, Flora encourages you to ask that person what his or her story is. You may also present them with army rank metal pins depending on their rank and service.
“Within every vet there’s story and I think we should ask them what their story is. They’re going to tell us what they’re going to tell us and not necessarily what we want to hear.”
More Veteran’s Day programs are scheduled for today at the Knox Community School Corporation. A program will be held at 9 a.m. in the Knox High School Gymnasium and at 10:30 a.m. in the Knox Middle School Gymnasium. Tim Watts, a returning U.S. Army-National Guard solider from Afghanistan, will be speaking to the students and veterans. Members of the Knox VFW Post #748 will be posting the colors at both ceremonies and members of the American Legion Post #131 will have the Salute to the Fallen.
Veterans from the Afghanistan/Iraq War, Desert Storm, Grenada, Vietnam, Korea and World War II will be honored for their service to the United States of America.
