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Saluting Veterans: Ceremonies honor sacrifice, service rendered by vets

HOUGHTON – Veterans and other members of the community celebrated the service performed by members of the military Friday at Veterans Day ceremonies throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The Copper Country Veterans Association and Marine Corps League Keweenaw Detachment No. 1016 hosted a ceremony at Veterans Park at 11 a.m., commemorating the time of the end of World War I.

“As a grateful nation, we are humbled by the sacrifices rendered by our service members and their families, out of the deepest sense of service and love of country,” said Jim Pintar of the Copper Country Veterans Association before a moment of silence. “On this Veterans Day, let us remember our solemn obligation to our veterans and recommit to upholding the enduring principles that our country lives for and that our fellow citizens have fought and died for.”

Chris Dennis, commandant of the Keweenaw Detachment No. 1016 of the Marine Corps League, said veterans were people who had put aside their needs to serve their country. But they also continued to serve after leaving the military, he reminded the crowd. He pointed out one veteran in attendance – Houghton Police Chief John Donnelly.

“Some of us are going to college,” Dennis said. “Some of us are going on with jobs. Some of us are retired. But the fact remains that at one point we have served our country, and we continue to serve.”

While stationed in Okinawa, a lieutenant commander of Dennis’s told him, “The standard is never minimal. The standard is excellence.”

“I’d like to think that each one of us lives up to that standard every day, as we live our lives,” he said.

Veterans also need to remember their common bond and look out for each other, he said. They should also remember those veterans who have died or who are missing in action.

“Let’s remember what Veterans Day means to us, but also to our other brothers and sisters as well,” he said. “Veterans Day is overshadowed by the elections, but I think it’s more important that we focus on us, just for today, and remember that.”

He added one more thing – the Marine battle cry: “Oorah!”

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