Ceremonies were held at cemeteries across Scotts Bluff County, the region and state Monday, honoring those who have served and passed during and after their service to the country.
At Gering’s West Lawn Cemetery, Pete Wysocki, a member of American Legion Post 36, delivered the keynote address, noting that it was a solemn day to honor those who served and died for the nation.
“It’s not Veteran’s Day, it’s not a celebration. it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom,” said Wysocki. “It was George Orwell who said ‘We sleep peaceably at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence in our behalf’. Rough men, military men, warriors, veterans. It is the veterans who step forward in our nation’s time of need to defend the freedoms that we so cherish.”
Wysocki noted while the day is set aside to honor those who have served and died, we should not forget the families who served in their own way as well. “On television, we see the tears of soldiers as they return home. But the family lives the tears and sorrows on the day of deployment. It is the family who writes the letters, sends the packages, and makes the phone calls. It is the family who takes care of the veteran when he arrives home, with limbs missing, PTSD, and all the changes that a war chisels into the body and soul of a soldier,” Wysocki said.
As part of this year’s ceremony, Post 36 also dedicated the new Pavilion, which was recently completed, and turned over to the City of Gering for insurance and maintenance purposes. Post 36 representative Mary Bowman thanked the many businesses, organizations, individuals and city staff members who contributed money, labor, time and material to the project.
Bowman said the effort toward a new structure started in 2021, after it was found the cost of ADA improvements to the former structure were prohibitive, and city officials suggested considering a new structure to use during military honors.
