Whether it was the parade through the center of town or the patriotic music at the Escalon Community Center, residents turned out to show their appreciation for local veterans on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Activities for the Veterans Day observance began with the 10:30 a.m. parade, which was led by the Escalon American Legion Post 263 colorguard, followed by Grand Marshal Bill Bennett.
A U.S. Navy veteran, Bennett has been with the local Post since 2012. He served in the Navy from 1958 to 1964.
“I was all over the Pacific, all the islands, I was in Hawaii,” he said. “I also was in Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan.”
First a Seaman Apprentice, Bennett eventually earned the rank of Yeoman Third Class and accepted a post in the chaplain’s office, where he served most of his time in the Navy.
After leaving the service, he went back into the grocery business and moved to this area from Oregon in 2012. He and his wife Toni had helped establish an American Legion Post in McMinnville, Oregon and wanted to stay involved with the Legion when they moved here.
He enjoyed the opportunity to wave to the crowd lining Main Street for the Saturday morning parade.
A brief stop at the historic Main Street caboose at the start of the parade included a flag ceremony and later, following the parade, the crowd moved to the Escalon Community Center for a special program.
Escalon High School choir and band musicians from both Escalon High Schol and El Portal Middle School performed.
Servin as emcee for the program was Legion Post Chaplain Casey den Ouden. He thanked the young musicians for being “so faithful” and taking part in the Veterans Day activities each year.
Guest speaker was Pastor Arney Corbin of Trinity Church in Escalon.
“We truly do have heroes living among us,” Corbin said, referring to those veterans in attendance on Saturday. “They’re our aunts, our uncles, our fathers, our mothers, and our children … I have two in the military. And we should always celebrate them because they were called upon when our country needed them the most.”
He went on to point out that Veterans Day is a time to honor all veterans, whether they served during a time of war or a time of peace.
“To our veterans, I’d like to say thank you, for your selfless service, your unwavering commitment, your sacrifice to our great nation,” Corbin said. “It exemplifies the depth and strength of the human spirit and we are forever indebted to you.”
The program also featured the laying of memorial weathers and a 21-gun salute, followed by the playing of Taps, by EHS senior Maia Madsen.
After the conclusion of the program, many in attendance stayed for a barbecue lunch served up at the Community Center; take-out orders were also available.
