COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Associates honored fellow veterans during Defense Supply Center Columbus’ annual Veterans Day Program Nov. 9 inside the DLA Land and Maritime Operations Center auditorium.
Mr. Alphonsa Green, the Recruiting Policy Branch Chief within the Army G-1 at the Pentagon, was the guest speaker. Green took those in attendance on a walk through the history of Veterans Day. He touched on the theme “How did we get here from there?”
“It was all of the Veterans of the great wars that brought us here,” Green said. “Our country was carried to this moment, on the backs of the veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. That’s why we celebrate this great day.”
Green comes from a family of veterans. He talked about watching his dad leave for and return home from Vietnam twice. He retired himself as a sergeant major after serving for 29 years in the Army.
He described how Veterans Day came to be, from the first annual recognition of Armistice Day in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson to 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill into law making Veterans Day a National Holiday to recognize all veterans.
Held in conjunction with the formal part of the program was a Veterans Benefits fair. The fair provided resources to educate veterans on various programs and opportunities that are available to them, their spouses, and their children that not only enrich their lives but foster their careers.
“What’s always made America great, what’s always made us exceptional, are the service members who dedicate themselves to building a nation that's stronger, freer, and a little more driven towards perfection,” Land and Maritime’s deputy commander James McClaugherty said. “It’s crucial to pass along to veterans the knowledge to use benefits that’ll enhance their careers and family’s prosperity.”
The DSCC Joint Service Color Guard Team, who’s makeup consists of all five services, presented the colors. Ms. Xander Wilson from DFAS-Columbus sang the national anthem and Mark Baisden gave the invocation and benediction.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated from its original version to reflect current information.