Lloyd Wofford, at age 102, was the oldest member of the armed forces at Veterans Day ceremony at the City of Manteca’s Library Park on Tuesday.

He served in the U.S. Army in the mid-1940s, and was in Okinawa and the Philippines. Wofford had a long career in education, having served as principal at Golden West Elementary School.

About two years ago, he was honored by the Manteca Unified School District with the Golden West gym officially named after him.

Wofford was among two dozen or so who served their country honorably at the special event hosted by local VFW Post 6311. Surprisingly, he once taught several of those in attendance, as Wofford and family soon discovered at the morning breakfast held earlier at American Legion Post 249.

By chance, the local Veterans Day event in Manteca kicked off at 11:11 a.m. – significant given the origin of Veterans Day is marked by the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the armistice ending World War I took effect.

In 1954, this date once known as Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day, honoring all U.S. military veterans.

Ret. Army Sgt. Karl Knutsen, who was the longtime drill instructor for the East Union High JROTC program, credited the late start for the numerical coincidence.

Several students who had the day off took part in the ceremony, including Pranav Sabarinathan and Aadidev Kiran.

Both 13, they attend Nile Garden Elementary School. As members of the local Boys Scouts of America Troop 243, Sabarinathan and Kiran were available to handle the presentation of the colors on this Veterans Day.

The same went for Eliana Mittal, 11. The Manteca girl currently attends Modesto Christian Schools and, in recent years, has performed the National Anthem at various functions including on this day.

 Veterans Day is about honoring those who wore the uniform, according to VFW Post 6311 Commander Mike Cearley and Manteca Councilmember Regina Lackey.

Both served guest speakers at the local event.

Lackey served in the Air Force and was stationed in Korea, stateside, and Qatar in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

“My time in the Air Force was the greatest – I learned about discipline, unity, and the importance of teamwork,” she said.

Cearley added that Veterans Day isn’t just another holiday.

“It’s for the living and recognizing those who wore the uniform – your service matters,” he said.