Photo By Daniel DeAngelis | Norfolk Naval Shipyard Veterans Employee Readiness Group President Josh Wannemacher...... read more read more
Each year on November 11, the nation comes together to honor veterans of the armed services and celebrate their responsibilities and achievements in protecting the freedoms of the American people. This coincides with the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 marking the end of World War I – when a truce was declared between the Allied nations and Germany. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson then proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day – a day to honor the service members who fought in that war. Today, this day is now known as Veterans Day – a celebration of the men and women who’ve served and sacrificed in the name of freedom.
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Veterans Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG) kicked off this year’s celebration with the annual Veterans Day Fall-In for Colors Nov. 8, inviting the workforce and Sailors of America’s Shipyard to come together and celebrate our veterans for their contributions to our nation. The celebration included an invocation and benediction by Navy Region Mid-Atlantic (NRMA) Chaplain Capt. Steve Shaw, and performances from the U.S. Fleet Forces Band Brass Quintet and bagpiper Lt. Col. (Ret.) Thomas Metz.
“Whenever I meet a veteran, it’s important for me to thank you for the legacy you left with me. Your hard work and legacy inspires us all and we can’t thank you enough for your service,” said presiding officer and Code 1200 Business and Strategic Planning Officer Capt. Scott Tracey at the event.
Col. Tavi Brunson of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) was the guest speaker for the event, sharing his thoughts on the importance of Veterans Day as well as celebrating veterans and their families. “Today we recognize those who demonstrate patriotism, love their country, and are willing to sacrifice and serve for the common good,” he said. “Given the historical perspective of the day, you may ask what is a veteran? What qualifies someone to assume the mantle and moniker of a veteran of the United States Armed Forces? U.S. Code identifies them as a person who served in active service. I would submit to you that being a veteran is more than that. To me it’s indicative of the well-spring of pride amongst our veteran populace – such as those that wear their caps or vests that show the units they served or the wars they fought. Many veterans have lined faces, creased by an unforgiving sun of a distant shore, etched by hours of toil to do the work of democracy, and carved in stone by the unrelenting and harsh crucible of combat. These lines are badges of honor, marks of patriots who’ve served and sacrificed. Veterans are individuals with courage and dedication to serve our country in whatever capacity they can.”
He added, “If I may be so bold, I have a charge for our veterans and those who hold our veterans in high regard. Fight for and champion causes, programs, and initiatives that serve and care for our veterans and their families. Any effort anywhere that has a tangible benefit for our veterans must be our imperative. We enjoy our freedoms today due in part to the sacrifices of our veterans – we must do our part to serve them in their time of need.”
Col. Brunson concluded. “Those brave and intrepid souls who place service over self, who dare to place the needs of our nation over their own comfort and safety – we thank you. Thank you for being exactly what was needed to ensure the blessings of liberty. For the generations that follow, we will always be indebted to you for your service and sacrifice.”
Following the ceremony, Capt. Tracey hosted a cake cutting ceremony with shipyard employees Oscar Thorpe and Peter Parker, paying tribute to all veterans spanning generations. The cake cutting ceremony is a time-honored tradition in the military celebrating the past, present, and future of our Nation and those who serve to protect it – with the known oldest and youngest veterans of the command taking part. The NNSY Chapter of the Naval Civilian Managers Association (NCMA) provided the cake and the representatives cut it with a naval cutlass sword symbolizing bridging the gap between veteran eras and ensuring continuous service of the nation’s defense at America’s Shipyard.
The NNSY VET-ERG is comprised of nearly 300 NNSY employees that are either veterans, service members currently serving, or those who support the military. At NNSY alone, there are more than 3,000 veterans employed with more than 650 considered Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Wounded Warriors. “The VET-ERG is committed to supporting the NNSY workforce as a whole to include our military veterans,” said VET-ERG President Josh Wannemacher. “Two of our leading initiatives include bringing value to each monthly meeting and increasing awareness access to veteran resources. We achieve this by inviting guest speakers to provide information to our membership on a diverse range of topics and we are focused on communicating these opportunities from the cubicles to the deckplate.”
For more information regarding the VET-ERG, email the VET-ERG Officer group at NNSY_VET-ERG_Officers@us.navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2022 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 432892 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 437 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s Veterans Employee Readiness Group Leads Annual Celebration of Our Veterans During Fall-In for Colors, by Kristi R Britt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
