Nearly 40 veterans and their relatives were at the American Legion Grant Hodge Post 17 in downtown Centralia for a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 11.
“Today is a joyous day where we get the chance to remember veterans for what they did … Every veteran signed that blank check, and that blank check was payable up to their life just so we can have the freedom that we have,” Grant Hodge Post 17 Commander Bob Clark said during the ceremony.
The Centralia High School Band was also in attendance, performing patriotic music that included renditions of each of the U.S. military branches’ songs.
The band was directed by Louie Blaser, who said the band had been performing during this ceremony at the post for decades, though he did not know exactly when it started.
“My grandpa did this when he was the high school band director here in 1961, so at least that long. Ron Brumbaugh is his name,” Blaser said.
Blaser also performed as part of the band while he was a student at Centralia High School.
Clark concluded the ceremony with a call to those with veterans in their families to reach out and talk to them to learn their stories.
“They’re gonna have some good stories, some fun ones, some maybe a little inappropriate ones, but they’ll have some stories. Some of them may be a little rough, I can guarantee you that,” said Clark. “So please, go out there and talk to your veterans. Sit down, get their memories, because once they go, it's gone.”
Following the ceremony, the post hosted a bean feed for ceremony attendees.
