Toronto salutes veterans
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TORONTO -- Rain and concerns about spread of COVID-19 resulted in a shorter Veterans Day service this year at Toronto's Veterans Victory Pavilion, but the level of appreciation for all American veterans was no less than before.
Mayor John Parker thanked everyone for coming to acknowledge the sacrifices of those who served in the military at this difficult time in our nation.
And Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Graham remarked that it's because of the men and women in the U.S.' various military branches that Americans enjoy many freedoms.
"It's because we are the home of the brave that we are the land of the free," Graham said.
The service included prayers delivered by Chuck White, Post 86 chaplain; and Goldie Litva, Post 86 auxiliary chaplain.
It also featured the laying of wreaths at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on behalf of the post, its auxiliary and its Sons of the American Legion squadron by Post 86 Commander Rick Hughes, Litva and John Trifonoff, the squadron's commander.
Located at the corner of Third and Market streets, the site was a fitting location for the service, having been the first U.S. monument to about 300 Torontoans who served in World War I.
Dedicated on Nov. 11, 1919, the statue was the first of 12 World War I monuments sculpted by Giuseppe Moretti, an Italian-born immigrant, and has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.
Veterans Day itself has roots in World War I, having evolved from Armistice Day, an annual celebration of the signing of a treaty with Germany that brought an end to the war on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
The monument, which depicts Lady Liberty flanked by a soldier and sailor, was restored and rededicated through the efforts of the Toronto Beautification Committee in 2004.
Among those attending the service was Ellsworth "Pickles" Graham, a former Toronto councilman and school board member who served in the Navy during World War II.
Graham said he was one of 10 members of the Toronto High School Class of 1945 who enlisted near the end of the war.
"I graduated on May 31 and was at Camp Lejeune (for basic training) on June 2," he recalled.
Asked about his military service, Graham said, "All of my time was spent near Alaska."
He explained he was assigned to the USS Sussex, a ship that transported soldiers to the Aleutian Islands, a U.S. territory invaded by the Japanese earlier in the war.
While Graham and his shipmates had to contend with the region's choppy waters, arctic temperatures, frequent blizzards and driving rain, he didn't experience combat.
He said his brothers John, a soldier, and Harry, a Marine, each were involved in fighting though "they never talked about it much."
But Graham noted John was hospitalized for three months after being struck by a grenade in the Battle of the Bulge and still had remnants of shrapnel in his body years later.
Asked if he would serve in the military again, he replied, "Yes, sir. And quickly."
Graham said he believes his military service helped him to become more mature.
He said Veterans Day is important because it's a time to remember all veterans.