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By: Desirae Hutchison
This September 12th, 2020, the local community came out to the Williams County Veteran Memorial, located in Montpelier at the fairgrounds, to show their respects and appreciation to our local veterans.
Saturday’s event was to allow the community to take part in the dedication of the Vietnam War Chevrons and for those veterans whose names appear on them to have their moment of appreciation they have waiting a long time to receive.
The dedication was first marked by speeches from Denny Keesbury of Montpelier, Roger Wieland of Stryker, Lynn Skiles of Northwest Township and Bob Walkup of Pioneer. Each of these veterans’ words were marked with support and love to their fellow veterans.
A letter from Mayor Steve Yagelski of Montpelier was read by Kevin Motter, Village Councilman and Veterans Memorial Trustee. During the reading Kevin became overwhelmed with emotion due to such heartfelt words from Mayor Steve. Needing to stop partway through, Kevin apologized for taking a moment to compose himself. Kevin gave a strong appreciation for the kind words of both the city mayor and the local veterans.
After standing as a group for photos the veterans, with their families and friends, proceeded to share their stories with each other. The weather was perfect, giving everyone a chance to see the chevrons in their glory. There was nothing but smiling faces as everyone walked around and admired everything the Williams County Veteran Memorial could offer.
Everyone present took the time to enjoy being a community coming together for a common cause.