THOMASVILLE- Patriotism was alive and well on Friday as Veterans of Foreign Wars Allen-Cook Post 4995 honored all of Thomasville and Thomas County’s veterans at the Historic Courthouse.

The crowd was greeted by Commander Greg Thweatt, who invited the Thomas County Central High School Army JROTC Color Guard to present the colors.

Following a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, VFW Chaplain Johnnie Clarke opened with prayer, before turning the microphone back over to Thweatt.

Thweatt then asked the Thomasville High School Air Force JROTC Honor Guard to fold the flag, led by Msgt. Chad Smith. The flag folding concluded with Taps played on the trumpet by the James Maxheimer American Legion Post 265 Honor Guard.

Thweatt explained the significance behind Veterans Day, which was originally known as Armistice Day.

“Armistice Day commemorated the end of World War I,” Thweatt said. “World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1918. However, the fighting ended about 7 months before that, when the allies in Germany put into effect an armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.”

For that reason, November 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of the war to end all wars, dubbing it Armistice Day.

“After WWII and the Korean War happened, on June 1, 1954, at the urging of veterans service organizations, Congress amended the commemoration yet again, changing the name from armistice to veterans,” Thweatt said. “That day would now honor all members of the service, which is what we are here to do today.”

Thweatt reminded all of those in attendance that no one could do what they are able to today without the sacrifice of past, present and future veterans.

He also recognized the unsung heroes who keep Thomasville safe daily, including firefighters, police officers, paramedics and E911 operators.

“My hats are off to first responders, they charge into danger, while everyone else is trying to get out,” Thweatt said. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

With a round of applause for first responders, Thweatt invited guest speaker Eve Geyer to the podium, who shared what it meant to be a military veteran and how the preservation of veteran’s stories is so important.

Geyer began by getting several “Hoo-ahs” from the different branches of service, before wishing the U.S. Marines a happy birthday.

Geyer served in the U.S. Army for 11 years, before moving back to Thomasville, where she has become a Board member of the Thomasville/Thomas County Veteran’s Museum.

As a member of the Veteran’s Museum, Geyer felt it was important to note that veterans everywhere often go unnoticed for their contributions.

“They’re your neighbors, coworkers and people we see every day in the streets and in the stores,” she said. “Currently, veterans make up about 10% of the total adult population, with Gulf War veterans accounting for the largest amount of veterans at 7.8 million individuals, followed by veterans from the Vietnam Era, who comprise 5.9 million.”

There are approximately 900,000 veterans who served in the Korean Conflict and an excess of 100,000 who served in WWII.

“Sadly, not only are our veterans killed in combat zones, but we lose so many in training accidents and veterans are two times more likely to be homeless than those not in the military,” she shared. “We owe so much to our great patriots, and while we can never repay them, we can share our appreciation just like we are doing here today.”

In order to show appreciation, veterans’ stories must be remembered.

Geyer focused on a few different stories, one of which was Tim Owens.

Owens currently works as the City of Thomasville’s Assistant City Engineer. Prior to his time in Thomasville, Owens was in the U.S. Marine Corps., where he was stationed in Hawaii before being called into active combat duty in Desert Storm. Following Desert Storm, Owens joined the Reserves, got married and had two children, all while attending FSU for a Civil Engineering degree.

Upon graduating, Owens joined the Navy Reserves as an officer.

In 2004, his Reserves unit was sent to build makeshift housing, prisoner of war cells and install plumbing and lighting in Iraq. While there, the Marines were short-handed and he served as security detail.

Despite trying to help rebuild the host nation, the unit was under constant attack. On April 30, 2004, while returning from a mission to deliver materials and equipment on the Syria/Iraq border, Owens’ outpost was hit by an improvised explosive device. Mere days later, the outpost was struck again by direct mortar fire. In total, the outpost lost 7 CBs, the most in their history.

Geyer explained this was only one of many stories veterans have. She spoke on a book that compiled hundreds of war stories, titled “Answering the Call.”

In order to honor the stories of local veterans, Hands on Thomas County has partnered with Judy’s Heroes Boxes, to send care packages to active duty service members and thank you packages to past veterans.

Veterans can be nominated for a box by submitting contact information to HOTC. For those who do not have a veteran in their life, but would still like to be involved, items for the boxes are also be collecting at HOTC.

Thweatt thanked Geyer and HOTC for honoring the countless men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, before inviting the students of Cross Creek Elementary to pass out handmade cards sharing their thanks as well.

As a final token of the VFW’s appreciation, Thweatt provided veterans with a flag pin to wear on the outside of their clothing before concluding the ceremony.