Taking Time To Say Thanks

There were new memories created at one Veterans Day Ceremony in Colorado Springs. I was at the Retired Enlisted Association. This service started promptly at 11 a.m. There is a special reason for that time. It’s because November 11th at 11 a.m. is when the Armistice was signed to end hostilities in World War One.

The Colorado Springs ceremony was a mix of young veterans, middle aged and seniors. Lt. General Thomas Lawson, Deputy Commander of Norad and with the Canadian Armed Forces was guest speaker.

He told of his young memories of Remembrance Day in Canada. The United States calls it, Veterans Day. Lt. General Lawson’s father was a fighter pilot in World War Two. He and his Dad sat around many campfires. His father talked about some of the experiences he had as a fighter pilot. Some of those memories were funny, others terrifying.

This is is the first year Lt. General Lawson couldn’t share Remembrance Day with his father. He died at the age of 90. With his father’s passing, Lt. General Lawson believes the torch was officially being handed off to a new generation. He called it a natural changing of the guard.