Thornton Township Supervisor Frank M. Zuccarelli understands first-hand the importance of veterans. As an Air Force man, he served his country and admires the determination and integrity of the men and women who have served our country. The township hosted a Veterans Day event attended by more than 100 people.
“The strength of America has always been its people. We have men and women of all cultures and religions who volunteer to go into service,” said Zuccarelli. “We understand it’s a great responsibility and honor to serve a country that has done so much for us. People even today risk their lives trying to come to America.”
Each veteran who came to the event received a personal pin that was placed on their jacket by Zuccarelli.
Keynote Speaker Commander Marvin Gardner for the Veterans Strike Force organization addressed the Veterans Day audience.
“I’m proud to be among a group of men and women who have shown determination and integrity,” said Gardner. “In the military, they teach you to work together as one team. Even though we live in times that are sometimes divided, we must have that same attitude that we learned in the military of respecting each other, fighting for each other and loving each other. It is the only way we can truly be stronger together.”
This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country’s service, and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. However, in 1954, the holiday was changed to “Veterans Day” to account for all veterans in all wars.