More than 100 people gathered on a Tuesday morning to recognize and celebrate the men and women who gave of their time, and in some cases their lives, in service to their country.

The ceremony was organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1717, and held in the front courtyard of the Lompoc Veterans Memorial Building.

Many of those in the audience proudly sported shirts and jackets indicating their years of service, or membership in any of several veterans groups in attendance.

“We've been putting it on since 1985,” emcee and post 1717 officer Tom Williams said.

The ceremony began at 11 a.m., coinciding with the signing of the armistice that ended World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

The Lompoc Police and Fire Department marked the start of the occasion, with a procession of sirens and lights. The posting of the colors followed, courtesy the Vandenberg Air Force Base Honor Guard.

Erma Turan sang the national anthem, followed by a speech by incoming Lompoc city administrator, Laurel Barcelona.

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Barcelona, whose husband is a veteran of the Air Force, said, “We thank you and honor your sacrifice.”

Col. Richard Wright, commander of the 30th Mission Support Group at VAFB, was the guest speaker at the ceremony.

“It is a special day, a day to remind us of the sacrifices of our nation's vets,” Wright said.

Wright spoke about the importance of acknowledging both current veterans, and the veterans of tomorrow, active duty troops serving in a time of war. He added that veterans, such as those gathered in the audience, were role models for himself and his peers.

From the generals, to the grunts, to the gathering of veteran groups in the audience, Wright said they all shared a common bond of service, and deserved respect.

To highlight his point, Wright told the story of Tech. Sgt. Stephen Achey, who was awarded the Silver Star for valor, and of Spec. Ross McGinnis who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

“The greatest gift America can give its veterans is to not waste the freedoms they sacrificed to give us,” Wright said.

Turan again took to the microphone, this time to sing a rendition of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” inviting the audience to sing along with the well known chorus.

After Chaplain Mathew Clouse offered the benediction, the crowd of visitors began to filter out, some going inside the Veterans Memorial building to enjoy refreshments offered by the VFW.

Joseph McCormick, a retired Air Force officer and chairman of the Lompoc Veterans Council, said he was happy to see the Veterans Memorial Building, 100 E. Locust Ave., at the southern terminus of H Street, once again serve as the backdrop for the ceremony.

“I fell in love with this building when I first came here in the '70s,” he said, mentioning that he recently came across old records from when the building's tower was used as an observatory in case of enemy air attack.

Later in the day, the Lompoc Elks Lodge put on their seventh annual Veterans' Luncheon, offering a free meal to any former service member, and $3 for everyone else. The luncheon included entertainment by the Dick Clark Big Band, and a collection of military memorabilia.

“It's a real nice thing the Elks do for the veterans,” McCormick said.

November 12, 2008