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Article and Photo by Benjamin Joe
Veterans Day in Wheatfield was marked by an observance ceremony at the American Legion Hall on Ward Road, hosted by the Wheatfieldlegionriders.org.
The event was moved from the Wheatfield War Memorial on Church Street because of weather. More than 50 people were in attendance in the alternative venue. They listened to Wheatfield American Legion No. 1451 Cmdr. Mark Erickson speak of the sacrifice of American soldiers, on and off the battlefield, and their value to the communities they live in.
“A lot of them paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said after the ceremony.
The ceremony included a 21-gun salute, performed outside the hall, as well as the posting of the colors.
Erickson served in the Air Force from 1984 until retiring in 2006. He also served a two-year stint with U.S. Homeland Security. Erickson said that, when he was growing up, his father was part of several social-activist groups like the American Legion and the Lions Club. It was a way of life.
These days, parents are staying home, he said, to be with their families.
“Which isn’t a bad thing,” Erickson said. “(But) we’re aging out. All the volunteers are in their 60s and 70s. … We still have a lot of young people on our roster, they just don’t have the time to come.”
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