War and peace were both given their due Sunday at the annual Community Veterans Day program at the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans.
Under sunny skies with a 35-degree temperature, more than 240 people turned out for this year’s ceremony, which marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
What is now known as Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day — a commemoration “designed to perpetuate peace between nations,” according to a 1926 congressional declaration.
Almost 30 years and two wars later, Congress approved changes in 1954 that would strike the word “Armistice” in favor of “Veterans” after lobbying efforts were made by veterans’ service organizations.
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Since World War I had been promoted as the “war to end all wars,” the shifting of emphasis from a Nov. 11 celebration of peace to an annual veterans recognition prompted controversy.
But in quoting a 1962 speech by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, event master of ceremonies John Foster reiterated that soldiers are not warmongers.
“On the contrary, the soldier above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war,” said Foster, a member of the event organizing committee, still quoting MacArthur’s farewell address to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Americans pray for peace while simultaneously honoring veterans, said retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark Pillar, another member of the local observance’s organizing committee.
It is the past and current efforts of the nation’s military that has led to eras of peace, Pillar said.
“Who knows what would have happened if we had not been in a position of strength,” Pillar said prior to Sunday’s ceremony. “If we are in a position of weakness, other things could have happened that would have forced us into conflict with other countries.”
During his benediction, retired Indiana National Guard chaplain Col. Richard Yeaton used the word peace in different contexts. For example, Yeaton prayed for “peace in our daily lives” that will help us “get over the dark side of life.”
Following a local Veterans Day tradition, a balloon was released Sunday as each name was read of the 161 former service men and women from Bartholomew County who died during the past year.
This year’s list includes well-known community members such as:
John C. Walter (died Dec. 12, 2017 at age 96), who flew 35 WWII combat missions.
LeRoy Nelson (died May 26 at age 87), who served as principal of both Columbus North and Columbus East high schools
Herschel O’Shaughnessey (died May 31 at age 98), a former Cummins executive and community leader
Charles “Chuck” Richardson (died June 30 at age 91), who served as a police officer, coach and teacher to three Columbus generations.
George Buckley Zeigler (died July 6 at age 93), who was the youngest and last survivor of the five local Zeigler brothers who fought in World War II.
But each deceased veteran whose name was read Sunday was important in their own right, Foster said.
For example, there was James Stocker Peters I, an Ohio native who died in June at the age of 94.
Peters had fought 27 missions in World War II before continuing his military service in both the Korean and the Cold War, said his son, James Peters II.
While listening to Sunday’s ceremony, Peters said he thought extensively about the sacrifices every generation of military has to make. His wife, Nancy, said this year’s emphasis on World War I made her reflect on her grandfather, Benjamin Morris, who was a member of a horse-drawn field artillery 100 years ago.
A special display at this year’s ceremony were the 1,301 small flags that the Daughters of the American Revolution put up along the walkways east of the memorial.
Each flag represented a Bartholomew County resident that served in the military during WWI, said Zack Ellison, another event committee member.
“We lost 30 in that war,” Ellison said, of which 22 were from influenza or pneumonia.
Seven service members died from actual World War I battle wounds or were lost at sea, according to pamphlets distributed by the DAR.
Among those dressed in World War I attire were J.R. Owen and Jeff Burgmeier of Southern Indiana Pipes and Drums. Burgmeier’s wife, Diane, dressed as a Red Cross nurse from the same era.
Five hours before the ceremony, about a half-dozen people joined Jeff Burgmeier at the memorial as he played simultaneously with bagpipe players around the world to mark the end of World War I hostilities.
His 6 a.m. performance was at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month as it is determined in France, where the 1918 armistice was signed.
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Number of Bartholomew County veterans who die annually that are honored on Veterans Day.
2018 – 161
2017 – 174
2016 – 191
2015 – 165
2014 – 156
Five-year average: 169
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