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NEWS | Nov. 15, 2016

ARMEDCOM joins city of Oldsmar to honor Veterans

By Lt. Col. Angela Wallace Army Reserve Medical Command

OLDSMAR, Fla.—Maj. Gen. Mary Link, commander of Army Reserve Medical Command, joined State Senator Jack Latvala, Mayor Doug Bevis and members of the Oldsmar community to honor Veterans during a local ceremony held at Veterans Memorial Park on Nov. 11.

“We unite together today to pay proper tribute to our Veterans.  For it is their loyalty to our country and their own great courage which have made us what we are today – and what we’ve been for more than two centuries – the world’s indispensable nation….the land of the free and the home of the brave,” said Link in her opening remarks.

The audience, filled with Veterans representing every service and several generations of conflicts, listened intently as each speaker recognized the importance of the day and its timeliness given the tough months leading into the national election, which recently concluded.
 
“We have a new leader, and regardless of how you voted, what has protected our nation’s right to have those elections to elect the person we want to elect, and then have a peaceful transition from one group to the next has been our military, and the folks who have fought to preserve our freedom, our liberty and our greatness as a country,” said Latvala.
 
Veterans Day is held on the anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War, known as the “War to End All Wars.” On the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month, after more than four years of unfathomable destruction came to an end, battlefields throughout war-torn Europe finally fell silent.

Today Veterans from all wars were honored for their bravery, sacrifice and service to the nation.

As Link addressed the audience, thanking those who serve, along with their families who sacrifice alongside them, she emphasized their shared bond as having “uncommon lives under a common banner:  a love of country and service to their fellow man.
 
 “All of our technology is nothing without the trusted professionals who make it work. And those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are a direct reflection of what’s best about America. In fact, they are America. They are the heart, the soul and the spirit of the greatest nation on the planet. And so are our Veterans.”