Photo By Staff Sgt. Scott Wilson | Members of Buncombe County Veterans Council Patriot Guard stand at attention for Taps...... read more read more
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Members of the North Carolina National Guard and veterans of all military branches met Monday at the Charles George Veterans Administration Center to celebrate and pay tribute to all service members who have served the United States and the state of North Carolina.
Brig. Gen. James Ernst, the N.C. National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General for Maneuver, was the keynote speaker and attended the Asheville event for the third time. Ernst paid tribute to the many veterans in attendance.
“You put service and mission accomplishment first and you made a commitment to mission accomplishment above self interest,” Ernst said to a packed room. “You agree to live by the values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honesty, integrity and personal courage. In essence you agree to give your lives to the service of our country, and this willingness is what separates a veteran from the rest of society and bonds us together in our brotherhood.”
Members of the Buncombe County Veterans Council and local Junior ROTC cadets honored veterans spanning multiple generations.
Retired U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Robert Benson, whose 30-year Army career included two tours in Vietnam, retired from the military in 1991 but continues to volunteer his time for veterans on the BCVC Patriot Guard. The Patriot Guard performs the 21-Gun salute at local burial services as well as attending events like these.
Benson, whose son and grandson are also veterans, said he is especially cognizant of Veterans Day because of his long career.
“It means everything to me,” he said, describing Veterans Day. “I never quit being in the military. There is nothing too good for a veteran. People don’t realize what a veteran goes through.”
Sgt. 1st Class Eunice Royall, who serves in the N.C. National Guard’s 105th Military Police Battalion, echoed those sentiments. Royall, who has been in the Army for 24 years, said she sometimes felt like an outsider having not mobilized like many of the young soldiers in her unit.
Royall deployed to Iraq in 2010-2011, saying she finally felt she deserved the distinction of being labeled a veteran.
“The bottom line is it is a unique brotherhood or sisterhood,” Royall said. “Unless you have actually been in the military you can’t understand the military. You can’t understand what it means to be a veteran.”
Nearly all of those in attendance know full well, and it was only fitting that the celebration took place at the Charles George Center, a major VA site in western North Carolina. The center offers veterans care across many medical spectrums.
“This is the third time I have been able to come do this and represent the National Guard,” Ernst said. “They do a great job here.”
Alyce Knaflich, chair of the BCVC and the event’s Master of Ceremony, said it is about honoring veterans for their service, keeping our country free and defending our Constitution. She also said she takes a moment for those family members who are often a forgotten part of military service.
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.15.2013 10:55 |
| Story ID: | 116799 |
| Location: | ASHEVILLE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 151 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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