Residents and veterans of all branches of the service gathered in the Soldiers' and Sailors' home chapel for a Veterans Day Ceremony.
The McDowell Air Force Jr. ROTC presented the colors, and the Mercyhurst Prep Show Choir sang the national anthem, God Bless America and a medley of the service songs of the armed forces.
Erie natives and guest speakers Ret. Major General Edward Bolton, USAF and his sister U.S. Navy Veteran Dr. Karen J. Bolton both paid tribute to those serving in the military and those who have served before us, fighting for our freedoms.
Both have a deep understanding of the sacrifices that service requires. "I think we should honor veterans not just by thanking them, but by remembering the sacrifice that previous veterans made, Maj. General Bolton said adding, "the price that people paid in blood should never be forgotten."
Navy vet Karen Bolton said she found another family through the navy, which got her off a difficult path after she got into drugs and dropped out of high school. "I found my voice, I found a meaning -- what it actually means to serve -- but when you start serving and then you have tragedies like I had to go through and escort people's remains home, and when people make the ultimate sacrifice, that's the tough part," she said.
According to Charlie Castelluccio, VFW National Rep to the Erie VA, it's that tough part that means returning veterans need the best of care, because many are hurting and still push away help, but VFW's and other veterans organizations are doing all they can to make every veteran feel welcome. "I've personally known three veterans over the last year that committed suicide and I never thought they would be the ones," Catelluccio said. "When I heard it I was shocked, literally couldn't even breathe."
So can a nation politically divided over the outcome of a contentious presidential election find unity in supporting our veterans? The Bolton siblings each weighed in. "We fight and die together, right? Black, white, republican, democrat," Maj. General Bolton said. "In the fox hole and on the battlefield, it doesn't matter and so I'm just thinking of unity and sacrifice, and I'm thinking of let's think back to the people that paid the price for the freedoms that we do have," he added.
Dr. Karen Bolton said, "We might be divided, but we're still the United States of America, we're still all Americans. So elections happen every two years, so we have another election coming up in two years, we have another presidential election coming up in four years, there's no reason for people to lose hope," she said.