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Somber ceremony commemorates Veterans Day
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Baltimore City Fire Fighters arrive for a Veterans Day memorial event Friday at the War Memorial Building in Baltimore.
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Under cold gray skies, fire engines hoisted an enormous flag, and more than 100 people came to War Memorial Plaza to pay tribute to American soldiers.
Then soldiers, color guards, politicians, firefighters, police and civilians filed into Memorial Hall, where bagpipes played, military members saluted, and civilians placed their hands on their hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance and America’s National Anthem.
“The significance of this ceremony revolves around remembering veterans,” Baltimore Police Detective Michael Glenn said. “It’s also important to recognize the people doing their job overseas.”
Mayor Sheila Dixon marked the early Veterans Day commemoration by rededicating a bronze, 9-foot statue on Calvert Street honoring African-American veterans.
“President Eisenhower made Veterans Day a holiday, and it is still our wish to honor our vets,” Dixon said.
Ebboni Ruley, the company commander at Maritime Industries Academy high school in Baltimore, joined fellow color guards in ushering commanders and Marines down the long aisle of the memorial’s grand hall to their seats as God Bless America played in the cavernous chamber.
“I’m excited to be here and watch the ceremony,” said Ruley, who intends to become a Marine before pursuing a career in the Air Force.
Col. Annette M. Deener, of the Maryland National Guard, said more than 1,900 state Guard members are in harm’s way. “I’m very proud,” she said.
Firefighters clad in dark blue uniforms and patches on their right arms speckled the crowd while others looked upon the walls of the War Memorial, searching for names of family members.
“My uncle’s name is up there,” said Cadet Rhenadah Boswell, a first-year color guard at the Maritime Academy.
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6:10 AM MST on Mon., Nov. 12, 2007 re: "Vets celebrated, honored across area"
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4:49 AM MST on Sat., Nov. 10, 2007
re: "Somber ceremony commemorates Veterans Day"
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Zyskandar A Jaimt said:
Saicon (In the Annamese tonal dialect of Southern Vietnam, the former capital, Saicon, is pronounced "sigh-Ghone", while Tudo Street, the broad avenue in the center of the city, is pronounced "Too-dah". The French word, ville was spoken by Americans stationed there as "vill" rhyming with "ill". Cholon was the old Chinese section of Saicon and Route One was the largest highway running North and South.) Beautiful ville in this fertile delta of ancient goddesses guarding the recurring cycle of time. established when Khmer kings excreted their primacy at dawn of history - decapitating friend and foe in sparkling rivers of venetian reds that whetted the appetite from a dry earth never satisfied. A body lying face down in the center of Route One. An Asian face hardly worth a look. Beautiful ville surrounded by plains of grass where no one ventures. A city of inscrutable religions where shaven skull
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Examiner Reader said:
It figures that the city would commeroate Veteran Day on the wrong date.
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