Veterans Day 2022

To The Editor:
Across America on Veterans Day, people will gather at public squares and parks to honor and remember our military Veterans for their service in defending our American values of freedom and democracy. In Dillon, the Veterans Day program begins at 11AM on November 11th at Veterans Square. Speeches will be made, flags will be raised, our National Anthem will be sung, awards will be given, and Veterans will be celebrated. Please make a special effort to attend and show your support for the Veterans of Dillon County.
Men and women from our community have served in the military for generations and they continue to serve today both at home and abroad representing the flag of the United States of America – the symbol of our nation. They have served in times of peace and in times of war and always with pride for their country and with a strong commitment to duty.
This has been a good year for us Veterans with the passing of the PACT Act (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics). The law is the most in-depth legislation ever passed for Veterans suffering from toxic exposure. It covers 3-generations of Veterans: those from the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. For 10-years, Veterans organizations have been fighting to get benefits and compensation for Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans exposed to toxic burn pit fumes. For close to 30-years, to get help for Gulf War Veterans dealing with mysterious illnesses from their service. And almost 50-years to get help for Vietnam War Veterans exposed to Agent Orange. With the passing of the PACT Act, these Veterans will now get the expanded health care they have earned and deserve.
In celebrating Veterans on Veterans Day, I ask that you seek out a Veteran and tell him or her thank you for serving in our military. We Veterans are proud of our service in uniform and feel honored to have served. When we hear those simple words of Thank You for Your Service, we reflect on how we served, and we are reminded of the oath we solemnly swore to our country when we first joined the military. The 93 names listed on the memorial wall at Veterans Square should remind all of us of the sacrifices made by Veterans killed in action and of the loss suffered by their surviving families and others who knew them. That loss of life is our loss as a community, too. The impact those lives could have had on our community will never be known.
Thankyou Dillon County for your past and continued support of Veterans. I hope to see many of you at Veterans Square on Veterans Day. It always means so very much to us Veterans when we see our friends and neighbors show up for Veteran programs. Thank you for being there for us.
God bless our troops deployed, and God bless the United States of America.
John Harlow
Commander
Dillon VFW Post 6091
Highway 9 East
Dillon, S.C. 29536