NEWBURGH – On a balmy Veteran’s Day that felt somewhat like Memorial Day, local officials and veterans gathered at Newburgh Town Hall for the annual commemoration and wreath-laying Wednesday at 11:11 a.m.
“It’s a veteran, not a preacher who gave us freedom of religion. It’s a veteran, not a reporter, who gave us freedom of the press. It’s the veteran, not the poet, who gave us freedom of speech. It’s the veteran, not the lawyer, who gave us the right to a fair trial. And it is the veteran, not the politician, who gave us the right to vote. Veterans entered the military for the freedom of others. Many entered combat and never returned,” said Gil Piaquadio, Newburgh’s town supervisor.
Many speakers thanked veterans, both living and dead, for the sacrifice, but Piaquadio urged civilians to make their decisions by choosing how to best honor their service on any given day.
“One way to honor our veterans is to choose our elected officials and leaders carefully. We must elect leaders who will not become involved in wars without proper purpose. We must elect leaders who will stand up for our veterans’ legal and medical benefits. I hope all of us will take a few minutes out of our day to try and imagine what conditions we would be living in had not been for veterans. So, veterans thank you.”
NYS Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson spoke briefly at the ceremony, saying “We should treat every day as Veterans’ Day and remember to thank all our veterans, every day, for their service to our great Nation.”
