RIPON — In the shade of a giant evergreen and before a memorial wall of veterans past, Ripon celebrated its Veterans’ Day Thursday with a choreographed presentation of speeches, song and prayer.
“Why We Honor Our Veterans” was delivered by Navy chaplain Captain Charles Roots, USNR, retired. Mayor Chuck Winn spoke on the contributions made by the city’s veterans who are remembered on a memorial wall.
Captain Roots opened his presentation saying, “The American warrior is founded on freedom. We are a people who wanted to be free from tyranny and the imperialism of Great Britain. We no longer wanted to be under that (control) as it were so we engaged in a mighty revolution.”
The Navy chaplain said it was a war, that by all rights, we should not have been able to win. “We didn’t have the man power; we didn’t have the fire power; we didn’t have the expertise in war that the British had, and we didn’t have any kind of naval force to speak of that could be used against the mighty British Navy.”
Roots said it was basically the desire to be a free people and, in the process, seeking out God. “God responded and wonderful things happened and this country was created so that we have some things such as the Declaration of Independence – we have the Constitution of the United States – incredible documents that we dare not lose,” he stressed.
He remembers early Americans coming up with a valuable slogan that he said he feels is still imprinted on the hearts of every American today: “Don’t tread on me!” He said he saw that emotion in a ground swell in the recent election where many Americans don’t like what they see happening in the country. Rather than politics as usual, the electorate obviously wants to see a change, he said.
“We, as a people, are making our voices heard. That’s a wonderful thing and one of the beauties of our democracy,” he said. “A second point is peace with our neighbors,” he added. “We’ve fought in all sorts of wars in all sorts of places everywhere around the globe.”
American troops have been in the ungodly cold of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea and the steaming jungles of Vietnam enduring the oppressive heat and the sand storms of Kuwait and Iraq. He said the list goes on and on with training for those conditions.
Roots said he is always amused when he hears how our troops are going to have to go in and fight an enemy such as in Iraq and the question raised by the media about the heat and the blowing sand while the military always trains in those environments.
He said after all the preparatory military training for conflicts in a foreign country with challenging weather conditions, the U.S. troops can handle the situation better than those native to those areas.
The chaplain stressed that America has never been a conqueror that took the land of the conquered in the end, but rather a country that helped rebuild and return the country to its government.
Both the National Anthem and “God Bless America” were sung by a the trio of Claudia Reif, Cindy Smit and Jennifer Driscoll. A crowd of Riponites gathered and demonstrated their devotion to country joining in the patriotic songs.
The Veterans’ Honor Wreath was placed in position at the base of the memorial statues of servicemen in front of the Veterans’ Memorial Museum by Tracey Crawford, Sr., vice commander of VFW Post 1051 and Elden “Red” Nutt, commander of American Legion Post 190 both located in the Ripon community.
Mayor Chuck Winn quoted three-time Peabody award winner and World War II news reporter Elmer Davis as saying, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
Winn added that today, extraordinary Americans protect our freedom as in years past and they represent the very best of our nation. Every soldier, sailor, airman, marine and Coast Guardsman has earned the lasting gratitude of the American people and their service and sacrifice will be remembered forever.
“Like the heroes before them, a new generation of men and women are fighting for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq today. Their determination, courage, and sacrifice are laying the foundation for a more secure and peaceful world,” the mayor said.
“Why We Honor Our Veterans” was delivered by Navy chaplain Captain Charles Roots, USNR, retired. Mayor Chuck Winn spoke on the contributions made by the city’s veterans who are remembered on a memorial wall.
Captain Roots opened his presentation saying, “The American warrior is founded on freedom. We are a people who wanted to be free from tyranny and the imperialism of Great Britain. We no longer wanted to be under that (control) as it were so we engaged in a mighty revolution.”
The Navy chaplain said it was a war, that by all rights, we should not have been able to win. “We didn’t have the man power; we didn’t have the fire power; we didn’t have the expertise in war that the British had, and we didn’t have any kind of naval force to speak of that could be used against the mighty British Navy.”
Roots said it was basically the desire to be a free people and, in the process, seeking out God. “God responded and wonderful things happened and this country was created so that we have some things such as the Declaration of Independence – we have the Constitution of the United States – incredible documents that we dare not lose,” he stressed.
He remembers early Americans coming up with a valuable slogan that he said he feels is still imprinted on the hearts of every American today: “Don’t tread on me!” He said he saw that emotion in a ground swell in the recent election where many Americans don’t like what they see happening in the country. Rather than politics as usual, the electorate obviously wants to see a change, he said.
“We, as a people, are making our voices heard. That’s a wonderful thing and one of the beauties of our democracy,” he said. “A second point is peace with our neighbors,” he added. “We’ve fought in all sorts of wars in all sorts of places everywhere around the globe.”
American troops have been in the ungodly cold of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea and the steaming jungles of Vietnam enduring the oppressive heat and the sand storms of Kuwait and Iraq. He said the list goes on and on with training for those conditions.
Roots said he is always amused when he hears how our troops are going to have to go in and fight an enemy such as in Iraq and the question raised by the media about the heat and the blowing sand while the military always trains in those environments.
He said after all the preparatory military training for conflicts in a foreign country with challenging weather conditions, the U.S. troops can handle the situation better than those native to those areas.
The chaplain stressed that America has never been a conqueror that took the land of the conquered in the end, but rather a country that helped rebuild and return the country to its government.
Both the National Anthem and “God Bless America” were sung by a the trio of Claudia Reif, Cindy Smit and Jennifer Driscoll. A crowd of Riponites gathered and demonstrated their devotion to country joining in the patriotic songs.
The Veterans’ Honor Wreath was placed in position at the base of the memorial statues of servicemen in front of the Veterans’ Memorial Museum by Tracey Crawford, Sr., vice commander of VFW Post 1051 and Elden “Red” Nutt, commander of American Legion Post 190 both located in the Ripon community.
Mayor Chuck Winn quoted three-time Peabody award winner and World War II news reporter Elmer Davis as saying, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
Winn added that today, extraordinary Americans protect our freedom as in years past and they represent the very best of our nation. Every soldier, sailor, airman, marine and Coast Guardsman has earned the lasting gratitude of the American people and their service and sacrifice will be remembered forever.
“Like the heroes before them, a new generation of men and women are fighting for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq today. Their determination, courage, and sacrifice are laying the foundation for a more secure and peaceful world,” the mayor said.
