Veterans

I'd like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to everyone who participated in the Veterans Day Event, November 12, 2012. The Heritage Hospice Inc.'s Veterans Committee, chaired by Sharon Martin, provider liaison with Heritage Hospice, Inc., did an outstanding job once again in coordinating the day. More than 1,300 veterans were in attendance. More than 200 were first-time attendees. Countless volunteers, donors, and guests braved the cold, rainy day to serve those who so selflessly served us. We appreciate all of them.

A simple “thank you” doesn't seem to be enough for all the volunteers who helped with the Veteran's Appreciation event Monday at the Naitonal Guard Armory. Thanks also go to the sponsors, the veterans themselves, the committee members, the National Guard Members and especially Sharon Martin. No one will ever know the hours, days and months she puts into this event. We as committee members have an idea, but many thanks to her for making this event such a success. Enough cannot be said about Heritage Hospice and their involvement in making this event what it is today.

In the winter of 1944, the snow came. It came full-force, dropping two feet on the Ardennes region of Belgium. That was the winter Cova Duvall nearly lost his feet, when he wondered how much worse things could get. The snow was blinding, and heavy cloud cover made it nearly impossible to see. “It's amazing what men went through. You take fighting snow two-feet deep, the drop it down to 24 below zero, you couldn't hardly stand it,”¿Duvall said. Earlier that year, Duvall was just an 18-year-old farm kid in rural Edmonson County, in western Kentucky.

STANFORD - In a split decision, Lincoln County Fiscal Court voted against preventing residents from using to cash to pay for services at Veterans Park like sports sign-ups. Judge-Executive Jim Adams introduced a proposed amendment at Tuesday's meeting that would have ended the practice of accepting cash for payment for county services at Veterans Park except for concessions sales. Currently, the county has a policy preventing payment for services in cash, with an exemption for all services connected with Veterans Park, Adams said.

Over the weekend, Jessamine County honored American veterans, first with the annual Wilmore parade on Saturday and then the Camp Nelson National Cemetery Veterans Day Ceremony on Sunday. It was the usual fanfare for the parade as motorcyclists, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, vintage car enthusiasts and of course local veterans made the trek and were saluted by onlookers. “We always come out here; it's a lot of fun,” James Cowan of Wilmore said. “I brought my son out here, Jakob, to show him its importance.” Led by Wilmore Police Chief Bill Craig in his pitch-black squad car, the parade lineup started at 9:30 a.m. on Rice Street, proceeded up East Main Street and made a right onto North Lexington Avenue.

Today is Sunday and Veterans Day. In church this morning, our pastor asked all veterans in the congregation to please stand. When Gene did not stand, I nudged him and whispered, “Stand up.” I realized as he struggled to get up that his hearing is so poor now that he didn't know what she had asked. But, once nudged, he stood, by far the oldest veteran there this morning. I just looked at him, this 87-year-old man I treasure, and realized that not only was he a World War ll vet but that he was a man who lives with the same kind of love and loyalty and courage that made him the outstanding soldier he was in the 1940s.

Veteran honored by program Dear editor, This past Friday, my niece invited me to attend Clark Middle School's Veterans Day celebration. When such an invitation presents itself one, of course, attends. As such, I dutifully reported to the school prepared for a brief if not light-hearted acknowledgement of the veterans' service to country. What I experienced far exceeded my expectation. I was initially met by courteous and polite young people busy ushering bewildered adults through the maze that middle schools often seem to be. My niece and I were treated to lunch, then had the opportunity to visit with other veterans; and of course share those “this really happened” stories.

The annual Veterans Appreciation Day luncheon in Danville proved again Monday to be such a force of nature itself, even the nastiest elements could do little to keep people away. Now in its fifth year, the event hosted by the Heritage Hospice veterans committee drew a crowd of 1,342 people to the National Guard Armory. The crowd included veterans from Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer counties and beyond. Hospice provider liaison Sharon Martin, who has headed the committee since it started, said there also were 203 first-time attendees at the event.

Editor's Note: This is one in a series of previews of area high school girls basketball teams. BURGIN - In one sense, you could say that nothing has changed with the Burgin girls. In another sense, however, that isn't quite true. It is true that the players who will do the heavy lifting for Burgin are an experienced lot, with a good working knowledge of coach Chris Myers' system and well-established roles within it. But the one new thing they'll be asked to do might make all the difference in how successful the Bulldogs can be this season.

The average American serviceman is 20 years old, and a high school or college graduate. “He can use his body like a weapon, and his weapon is part of his body. ... They are warriors, economists and diplomats,” Lt. Col. Marc Cummins said. As the keynote speaker at the annual Veterans Day program, Cummins highlighted the important role soldiers have played in American history, and the lessons he has learned from his own military career. Cummins began serving after his freshman year at the University of Kentucky.