O’Fallon Veterans Monument ceremony big success

Another Veterans Day, another memorable O’Fallon Veterans Monument ceremony to mark the occasion. This year’s event was held indoors at the First Baptist Church to eliminate any potential impacts of inclement weather.

FBCO is well-suited to host, equipped with pretty impressive audio-visual systems to further enhance the experience.

Retired Air Force Col. Woody Almind served as the emcee. His enthusiasm bubbled over into the crowd. Early on he recognized all the World War II veterans in attendance, two of which were 99-years young, and took time to seek them out in the audience and allow each to briefly speak of their wartime experience.

O’Fallon Mayor Herb Roach provided welcoming remarks, retired AF Maj. Gen. Don Bennett recited the Pledge of Allegiance and retired AF Chaplain Lt. Col. Tom Dawson gave the invocation. Army Maj. Gen. Vincent Barker, USTRANSCOM chief of staff, was the keynote speaker. O’Fallon VFW Post 805 provided the “silent” 21-gun salute and Laurie Hartung of the St. Louis Caledonian Pipe Band played a haunting rendition of Amazing Grace on bagpipe.

While it was good to meet and greet many old faces (literally and figuratively) there was also a healthy mix of youth in attendance. O’Fallon High school was well-represented with their Junior ROTC cadets which posted-retired the colors and placed the wreath.

OTHS’s Athena King impressively sang the National Anthem and Kate Wexell joined Belleville’s Len Bull in bugling out Taps an conjuring up memories of vets who have passed. O’Fallon School District 90’s fifth grade music program sang a medley of military songs and patriotic favorites via video.

To cap it off, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Sondra Marston recognized the 19 veterans who were recently added to the Security pillar at the O’Fallon Monument Park. The park is located on E. Wesley Drive in O’Fallon.

Information on inscribing the name of an O’Fallon vet on a park pillar can be obtained at https://www.ofallonveteransmonument.org/.