HAYDEN, Idaho — Hundreds of people gathered for Hayden’s 20th annual Veterans Day celebration outside City Hall on Wednesday.
The event was put on by the city and its Veterans commission. Students from Skyway and Atlas Elementary School helped provide the music for the event, a reminder that passing down the meaning of sacrifice and service is part of honoring our veterans.
Speakers included SCPO Paul Braden, USN, Ret. recognized by the Veterans commission as this year’s distinguished veteran of the year.
“There’s no better place to spend your time to meet some fine gentleman than to go out to the veterans home and visit them,” Braden said.
Len Crosby, the ceremony’s guest speaker, served seven years in the Army, including two combat tours in Vietnam.
“When veterans remain engaged, they don’t just continue serving, they strengthen the communities around them,” Crosby said.
That message hit home for veteran Ian Cosby, who served for 20 years before putting down his roots in Hayden.
“The Army pays for one more move, and we thought of all the placed that we’d lived in the US, in the world, and it was back to Idaho,” Cosby said.
After the ceremony, the colors were retired and chairs put away until next year. But the service and sacrifice of the men and women who were honored are something the community says it honors all year long.
“It’s great just getting more exposure that we can get recognition for veterans in the community that are giving back,” said Cosby.
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