Waterloo and Columbia each hosted Veterans Day ceremonies this past weekend, with city officials and residents coming out to recognize the sacrifice of all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Waterloo’s big event took place Friday evening. 

In a departure from tradition, the ceremony took place in the Gibault Catholic High School gymnasium as opposed to the Waterloo High School auditorium.

Another noteworthy difference this year was the lack of musical accompaniment from the WHS and Gibault choirs – though the guests were able to hear singing performances from the Gibault Hawkapellas.

Following the call to order, national anthem and pledge of allegiance, Hope Christian Church Associate Pastor Joshua Boyer offered an opening prayer as well as some brief personal thoughts about Veterans Day, joking about how he always knew the day had arrived when his veteran father woke him up and said “you’re welcome.”

Gibault Principal Sarah Lanham was next to speak, welcoming everyone to the school and saying the day is not simply a date on the calendar but is an important time to reflect on veterans’ service.

Waterloo Mayor Stan Darter – himself a veteran – served as host and introduced speakers during the event.

First among them was American Legion Post 747 Commander Clyde Heller, who focused part of his speech on the creation of the Marines and also noting the decline in membership among organizations like the American Legion and VFW as the bulk of these groups’ membership ages.

Heller, along with many other speakers for the evening, also touched on the need to recognize veteran families.

“With every deployment, we also must recognize the strain that this places on family,” Heller said. “We need to honor the spouses and parents who share their service member with those of us at home. Please keep them in our prayers as well.”

Metzger-Crook Post VFW 6504 Commander Mike Douglas spoke rather briefly, thanking those veterans in attendance given the great cost that comes with serving.

Daughters of the American Revolution Whiteside Station Chapter Regent Sarah Karban also spoke, offering her thoughts on Veterans Day as a key component of this year’s Waterloo ceremony was the recognition of D.A.R. and the support this group shows for the military, veterans and veteran heritage.

Karban opened her speech offering some perspective on what D.A.R. is and how the organization came to be.

“We were organized 133 years ago on the 11th of October, 1890, by women who wanted to remember their patriotic ancestors who fought to make this country free and independent,” Karban said.

She went on to describe the organization’s three key pillars of preservation, education and patriotism, further outlining the group’s local work in supporting essay contests, marking graves and other areas.

The featured guest speaker for the evening was Paul Schimpf, a Marine veteran and former state senator for the 58th District.

Schimpf covered a number of topics throughout his speech, touching on the creation of the Marine Corps, the significance of “Veterans Day” not including an apostrophe and thus not being owned by veterans and the importance of recognizing veteran families.

One major topic of discussion for Schimpf was the poor treatment of veterans following the Vietnam War. He spoke quite highly of Vietnam veterans, thanking them for their service and emphasizing how impressive it is for these veterans to have continued to love and serve the country after their harsh welcome home.

“Love is stronger than death,” Schimpf said. “Love is stronger than fear. Love is stronger than hate. Love is stronger than betrayal. And what I remember about our Vietnam veterans is not only how they were treated, but how they forgave this country. They were treated wrongly, but they still love America, and they continued to serve. That forgiveness and love is what makes our Vietnam veterans heroes.”

Much of the remainder of Schimpf’s speech centered around how veterans considered America worth fighting for.

“If we want to thank our veterans, it’s not enough to say thank you,” Schimpf said. “We have to work to validate their sacrifices. They already decided that we, our communities and our country were worth fighting and dying for. But now it’s up to us to live up to our end of the bargain and make sure that their sacrifices are not in vain. And that’s not a one-day-of-the-year proposition.”

Following Schimpf’s speech, those D.A.R. members in attendance were individually recognized.

The event also featured poetry read by Gibault students Allison Stark and Private First Class Paul Steingruby as well as a performance of “Taps” by Ryan Brandt and Russel Wolf.

Though Waterloo’s main event took place in the evening before Veterans Day, the community also gathered Saturday morning for the annual wreath laying at the Veterans Memorial in Lakeview Park, with Darter and Heller offering their sentiments on the day.

At the same time, a number of Columbia residents gathered in the main hall of American Legion Post 581.

The event featured music throughout performed by the Belleville Community Band, conducted by Jackie Siddle.

Post 581 Commander Greg Smith served as master of ceremonies to conduct the event.

David Bollone, who also oversaw the Post 581 Honor Guard for the ceremony, offered a benediction to open the event.

Though Columbia Mayor Bob Hill has traditionally offered opening words for the event, Columbia Alderman Doug Garmer provided opening greetings and remarks in his stead as Hill was absent.

Garmer offered thanks for those in attendance, voicing his appreciation that members of the community were able to come together and thank veterans and further adding that, though the debt from veterans can never truly be repaid, they can at least be honored.

Auxiliary Unit 581 President Clara Schaefer spoke next, recalling the many members of her family who have served in the military and expressing the impact that comes from being part of a veteran family.

“Today, we celebrate those men and women who serve or have served our country,” Schaefer said. “Veterans Day is to honor those who have defended us in peace time and war time. We take our time to show our appreciation.”

Sons of American Legion Squadron 581 Commander Mike Nowak also offered a few brief words, noting how members of the military have served from the Revolutionary War through today to fight for freedom and democracy.

Columbia’s guest speaker was Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb, who opened his speech by stressing the importance of veterans in maintaining the rights many in this country take for granted.

“We have a lot of folks around this country that talk about the rights that they have, but it is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion,” Webb said. “It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to assemble. It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.”

Later in his speech, Webb described how the values and overall state of a community can be hugely impacted by the values of veterans as they pass on their strength and other traits to their families and those around them.

Webb also expressed a similar sentiment as Schimpf, as he said there is much more individuals can do to show appreciation for veterans than merely say “thank you.”

“Though today is a day for veterans, what about tomorrow? What about Monday?” Webb said. “Thank a veteran by helping a neighbor in need, because that’s what a veteran would do. Put an extra buck or two in the collection plate on Sunday, because that’s what a veteran would do. Open up that jury summons and clear your schedule without trying to figure out how to get out of it, because that’s what a veteran would do.”

Along with additional performances from the Belleville Community Band, Smith closed out the ceremony by sharing several stories about military veterans.

Smith closed his sentiments by saying it is important to take action on Veterans Day, as there is an exceptionally prominent issue – suicide – which drastically impacts veterans. 

He pointed to the phone number 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline, as a vital resource.