BANDON – The Bandon VFW Post #3440 held a parade and special presentation on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11. Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center honors veterans and aims to continue providing much-needed services to those individuals.

Organized by VFW Quartermaster Preston Wayte, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps., the group drove through Bandon from the VFW Hall on Bates Road to the Veterans Memorial in City Park, then back to the VFW Hall for a special presentation followed by a barbecue lunch provided free to all veterans.

The annual event is usually held at the Veterans Memorial, but due to inclement weather, it was moved to the VFW Hall.

A large crowd turned out, which included several Bandon High School students, member of the American Legion Post 26, the Bandon VFW Post #3440, VFW Post #3440 Auxiliary, South Coast Patriot Guard Riders, and others. Wayte welcomed them all, asking for veterans of each branch of service to stand to be honored. John Cotrufo let the group with singing the National Anthem, followed by the invocation by Gary Sands, U. S. Army veteran and adjunct of the American Legion Post 26.

BHS senior Peyton Simonds read an essay he wrote for the annual Voice of Democracy contest for Coos County teens. Simonds won the contest this year, receiving a scholarship to help with his education. Simonds plans to attend Whitman College next year. Simonds’ speech will be published and has also been forwarded to the state-level contest.

Guest speaker Larry Langenberg retired from 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, serving overseas deployments in Bosnia and Hercegovina in 1996; Iraq in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006; and Afghanistan from 2009-2010 and 2012-2013.

Read Langenberg’s speech below:

Honored veterans, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

On this Veterans Day, we gather to pay homage to the men and women who’ve donned the uniform of our nation’s armed forces. We come together not just to express our gratitude, but to reaffirm our commitment to the ideals for which they’ve fought and sacrificed.

On behalf of all Veterans, I would like to thank you for celebrating their service and sacrifice today.

And on behalf of all Americans, I would like to thank all our Veterans for their service. God Bless you. 

What Is Veterans Day?

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs many Americans confuse this holiday with Memorial Day. Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day, but the difference is that Veterans Day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military, whether in wartime or peacetime.

Why do we commemorate our veterans on November 11?

• The origins of Veterans Day lie in Armistice Day, which was first observed on November 11, 1919, to commemorate the first anniversary of the armistice that ended WWI 1918.
• In 1938 The U.S. Congress passed a law making Armistice Day a federal holiday, primarily honoring veterans of WWI and celebrating peace.
• In 1947 The first celebration that used the term “Veterans Day” was held after Raymond Weeks, a Navy veteran who served in WWII, organized a movement for a national day to honor all Americans who served in the armed forces. Weeks served as the director of the National Veterans Day Celebration in Birmingham, Alabama, for decades, until his death in 1985.
• After WWII and the Korean War, the holiday’s focus broadened to honor all American veterans. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation officially changing the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to recognize veterans of all wars.
• In 1968: Congress passed The Uniform Monday Holiday Act: The law moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October to create more three-day weekends for federal employees.
• Due to public and veterans’ dissatisfaction with the date change, President Gerald Ford signed legislation in 1975 to restore Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, starting in 1978. The return acknowledged the historical significance of the WWI armistice.

The story of America is closely tied to the story of our veterans.

Who are Veterans?

Veterans come from every walk of life.

They have served around the globe from Europe, and the Pacific, to Korea, Vietnam and the middle East. As well as places that are much more inhospitable such as Fort Drum NY and Fort Bliss Texas.  

15.8 million The number of military veterans in the United States in 2023, representing 6.1% of the total civilian population age 18 and over.

1.7 million The number of female veterans in the United States in 2023, representing 10.9% of the total veteran population.

0.6% The share of veterans in 2023 who served during World War II. Additionally, 3.5% of veterans served during the Korean War; 33.0% during the Vietnam War; 24.8% during the Persian Gulf War; and 28.0% during the Post-9/11 period (September 2001 to present).

27.9% The share of veterans 75 and older in 2023. At the other end of the age spectrum, 8.3% of veterans were younger than age 35

What do all veterans have in common?

A dedication to our country and each other.

Every veteran has taken one of the following oaths.

The Oath of Enlistment (for enlisted):

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

The Oath of Office (for officers):

“I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.”

Thank you and God Bless you all.

-Larry Langenberg

News Source : https://southerncoos.org/special-veterans-day-presentation-held-at-vfw-hall/