Around this time each year, we’re reminded of the sacrifices so many have made to give us the privilege of freedom, safety, and security, whether that is through being thankful on Veterans Day or by using that freedom to cast a ballot in a local or federal election.
To some, Veterans Day marks just another day on the calendar, a day to stay home from school and take a breather from the stresses of everyday life; however, the “annoyances” that we all complain about day in and day out were afforded to us by the courageous men and women who left home to fight for our country.
I will admit I, unfortunately, have let Veterans Day pass me by year after year without much acknowledgement. I realize now that, as a kid, I did not fully understand what it meant. Now, I think I get it.
It is about appreciation, for those living and dead who have served and continue to serve our country.
It is about recognition, of the sacrifices they made.
It is about reflection, of the challenges veterans face while serving and when returning home.
It is about celebration, of heroic qualities such as loyalty and commitment to the greater good.
This year and every year after, I’ll be thinking of my grandfathers, Robert “Butch” Coomer and James “Jim” Pavelich, who both served their country.
Coomer received a Purple Heart for his service in the Vietnam War, something I did not know until I asked my mother about his time in the military the day I wrote this editorial. He came home with a blown-out knee, grieving for some of his good friends who died in the war. You would not know he ever had these experiences, as he is such a bright, bubbly presence. When I asked if I could mention him in this editorial, he texted, “It’s definitely okay … Hope everything is going well,” with a smiley face emoji.
Despite his heroic actions, I never really got to experience the person Pavelich was before he died in 2013, when I was just 12 years old. He joined the U.S. Army in 1967 and was stationed in Germany. My father told me both of his grandfathers were veterans as well.
In Lincoln County, Damariscotta’s Patti Whitten has taken it upon herself to make sure support for veterans is widespread. On Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., Newcastle and Damariscotta institutions, including Lincoln Academy, The Second Congregational Church of Newcastle, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Damariscotta Baptist Church, The Firehouse Gallery, and Twin Villages Church have been invited to ring the bells housed at each building in honor of those who have served our country.
Our “Characters of the County” column this week highlights retired U.S. Navy Capt. Dr. Barclay Shepard, of Boothbay Harbor, who spent most of his life traveling all over the world “in service to his country, humanity, and his church,” as reporter Charlotte Boynton so eloquently phrased it.
Veterans walk among us every day. They are the people you see in the grocery store, at church, at the bank, and out at restaurants. They are the people you send holiday cards to, stand in line with, and wave hello to from across the street as you walk by.
They are people I look up to and who I aspire to be like.
While Veterans Day might seem like another day to some, it is most definitely not another day to them or their families. So, the next time you fly an American flag, cast your ballot in an election, or simply sit in the safety of your home, remember the people who fought and fight to make that possible.
