Honoring veterans on Memorial Day

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Memorial Day isn’t about cookouts, parties, or an extra day off - it’s about remembering our fallen heroes.

Governor Phil Scott Monday issued the following statement to commemorate Memorial Day:

“Each year, we pause to reflect and celebrate the brave men and women who gave the ‘last full measure of devotion’ to preserve our values and way of life. As Americans, we must do more than mourn their loss and remember their service. We must live our lives worthy of the sacrifice they made, and not take for granted those freedoms, and quality of life, they paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect.

“America has become increasingly divided, polarized, and divisive. We, as a people, are better than this, and we cannot allow it to define who we are. To honor those who gave their lives for us, let’s commit to being worthy of their heroism.”

The VFW Post 782′s annual Memorial Day event in Burlington’s Battery Park drew in veterans and their families.

The group acknowledged the role of the servicemen and women who have fallen and listened to taps in their honor.

Post Commander Kevin Fleming says veterans have a sacred duty to remember these sacrifices. “Our lifelong bond with the past that we somehow have taken on, and it’s our job to implore the younger generations to carry the torch,” he said.

The veterans placed a wreath and a flag at the memorial site of Howard William Plant, the first man from Burlington to die in World War I.

Channel 3′s Dom Amato spoke with Thom Anderson, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and associate dean of academic programs at Northern Vermont University Lyndon, about the importance of honoring those who have died fighting for our country and how you can do your part Monday to honor a veteran.

“There are several ways, going to a cemetery, planting flowers on the grave of a veteran is a common tradition and an important one. Another way is to go to a Memorial Day Parade which is awesome and a lot of veterans organizations put on put a lot of work into those parades, and they’re a great way to recognize the fallen,” said Anderson.

This Friday is the 10th annual Veterans Summit at Northern Vermont University Lyndon. It starts at 8 a.m. There will be over 60 veteran service organizations there.

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