Veterans Honored, Entertained at Evergreens

About five minutes before an honorary event was to begin saluting local and resident veterans at , president Doug Halvorsen mentioned the anticipation that occurs in staging this type of occasion. 

“You never know how the weather is going to be and you can never be sure how many people will turn out,” Halvorsen said last Friday morning. 

Regarding both, it was a winner—the day was filled with sunshine, and an overflow of guests had to search for seats in the retirement community’s banquet room. 

The special ceremony commenced with guest speaker retired Army Col. Michael L. Warner, former commander at Fort Dix and deputy commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Veterans and Military Affairs.

Warner is also the proud recipient of two Legions of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart, three Meritorious Service Medals, and the Army Commendation Medal, along with campaign medals for service in Vietnam and overseas service ribbons for his tours of duty in Europe and Korea. 

To thunderous applause, about 30 elderly men stood when Warner asked if any veterans were in the room. 

Warner said Veterans Day is not just to honor veterans who have lost their lives fighting for our country, but for those alive and among us.

“I remember when I was a small kid in Nebraska we used to honor every man who was serving,” said the Vincentown resident. “We don’t do that anymore.”

Because we are a nation that doesn’t like war and the United States has an all-volunteer military, Warner said less than 1 percent of our population serves in the armed forces. 

Recent accounts reveal Americans don’t want to read about war anymore—thus allowing returning veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq to often feel overlooked, Warner cited. 

Although, the flip side is Americans still proudly display yellow ribbons in support of our military and feel strongly that veteran care should be a top priority for lawmakers. 

“The Veterans Administration does a good job of taking care of our soldiers, but it is in danger of being overwhelmed,” Warner said. “Many politicians deny that there is a problem.” 

Warner emphasized if we are going to send our young people off to war, the United States must deal with the consequences. 

The Pentagon casualty list shows there have been more than 100,000 wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

“But that doesn’t include the 325,000 brain injuries or 300,000 soldiers dealing with depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome. We must be willing to pay the costs to get them the proper help,” Warner stressed. 

The crowd was then entertained by the USO Liberty Bells—Kirbi Long, Renée Freeman and Lexy Romano—a leggy trio of harmony singers performing World War II songs.

"We become very passionate about the message we bring when we entertain," said Romano, who originally hails from Southern California.

The girls are part of a 15-member troupe based in Manhattan. The Bells—a 70-year American tradition—started with shows in the swampy South Pacific. 

The showstoppers—clad in red, white and blue military-style minis—swung and sang World War II favorites “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” and “My Dear Mr. Shane,” made famous by the 1940s Andrew Sisters. 

For Evergreens resident Don Parker, 85, the ceremony was a walk down memory lane.

“Just hearing those old-time songs makes me feel so good,” said Parker, who served abroad in the Navy and Air Force for three years during World War II.

A couple of veterans saluted the flag during “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless the USA.”

“I feel grateful to be here today,” said Francis Nitchkey, 88, who is also an Evergreens resident and World War II veteran. “And it’s good to be honored.”