Remembering Our Veterans

On a blustery day in Red Bank, Marine Lt. Col. Peter Mahoney, standing before a war memorial of proud riflemen representing wars fought a century ago, talked about the scars that can’t be seen, the scars that every veteran carries, silently, throughout their entire lives.

For the wounds that cannot be healed, he said, we remember.

A veteran of three tours of duty in Iraq, Mahoney, recounting the names of those who lost their lives serving in his own unit, and those area soldiers who lost their lives leaving families behind to grieve, said war is cruel and without pity. The efforts of those who fight cannot be forgotten, he said, because their blood, sweat and tears, run through the veins of the United States.

And for this reason, we remember.

“Today is a day of remembrance. A day of keeping faith, a day of community, a day of hope,” he said. “Many carry visible wounds, from missing limbs to eyes that will never see another sunrise or another smile.

“(Others have) the kind of wounds that can’t be seen and can never be touched.”

Mahoney’s speech was part of Red Bank’s annual Veteran’s Day memorial ceremony held outside of . With Thursday’s warm weather replaced by a late fall chill, veterans, their families, members of the community, and children gathered to reflect and pay homage to those who have served out country.

In addition to the speakers present, children from the sang a song and the Red Bank Regional Marching Band performed in honor of the veterans.

An estimated 21 million veterans, including 1.6 million women, are alive today in this country, and about 443,000 of them live in New Jersey. Mason Stoop, an Army veteran who spoke at the ceremony, said our veterans have helped uphold the symbol of America as a great nation, even with our country facing national challenged unlike any in history.

“This is a reminder of the price that has been paid so we all can enjoy liberty,” he said.