HONOLULU (KHON2) — The annual day we raise our hands to our head to salute the troops was celebrated to the fullest extent Saturday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
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The annual Veterans Day Ceremony featured full military honors, a wreath laying, cannon salute and a speech given by Gov. Josh Green.
“It’s very important we realize the significance between veterans day and memorial day,” said Gene Maestas with the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
“On memorial day, we’re here to honor all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and on veterans day, we’re here to celebrate all those who are serving now and that have served for our country.”
“Everyone from the E-1 to the O-10 are all just as important to us,” Maestas continued. “We’re here to serve our veterans. Nobody takes a precedence. They’re all very special.”
Gov. Josh Green also spoke on the sacrifice so many have made for our country.
“There are at least 53,000 souls laid to rest who served our country with such distinction and made it possible to make America what it is. Thousands of veterans laid to rest here at one point or another in the last century were engaged in a fight for freedom, to make this a fair world, to give us the basis for this peaceful pacific so we thank them and we honor them,” said Gov. Green.
The day to commemorate all who are or have served is just one day out of the year to say a ‘Thank You’ to those who should be thanked everyday.
“We must never forget these brave men and women. We have to continue to gather like this to tell the stories, share the experiences, honor the sacrifices to reflect and to remember,” said Fleet Master Chief David Isom.
