Neillsville (WQOW) - Veterans across America were honored for their
service and sacrifice as part of Veterans Day. In western Wisconsin, The Highground memorial park in Neillsville
held an event to honor our local veterans.
Veterans and their families from
across western Wisconsin
gathered to celebrate Veterans Day Sunday.
"When a soldier
joins the service, his family joins the service. So for them to be here, it's
as much a remembrance for them as it is for the service members," said United
States Army Reserves Sgt. Major Jeff Uhlig.
The Highground in Neillsville hosted
a Veterans Day celebration, paying respect to those who have fought for our
country.
"It's important
that we do honor our veterans because they're what made the history of our
country, they're what made it strong, they are what's going to be carrying us
into the future," Uhlig said.
The names of those Wisconsin men and
women killed or missing in action from the Iraq
and Afghanistan
wars were read at the ceremony.
"Usually I wear
dark sunglasses, because I'll break down. The tears run down my face,
especially when I hear taps, hear the star spangled banner, and see other
veterans standing there. I see parents standing there whose sons or daughters
are no longer here, but we have to support them," said Vietnam War veteran
Skip Sparks.
Whether they fought on land, at sea,
or in the skies, all took their turn standing and receiving a thank you from
those in attendance.
"It doesn't matter
whether its the army, navy, air force, or marines...whatever war its from,
they're still part of the overarching family, and its important that they're
all recognized. It's really cool that they're all able to come back here to be
honored," Uhlig said.
As the event wrapped up, veterans
took time to share their stories with one another.
"We all have
something in common, that we're veterans. Especially all the men that served in
Vietnam,
they're my brothers. Every time I meet a Vietnam veteran, I'll shake their
hand, give them a hug and say "Welcome home brother." That's how we
bond, after the welcome home we received," said Sparks.
During
the ceremony, a brief moment of silence followed all those names from Wisconsin
who were missing or killed in action from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of
today, that number was 143.
