RR Branstrom | Veterans and Daily Press guests participate in Escanaba’s Veterans Day ceremony Monday, held for the first time at the Delta Chamber of Commerce building. There was a larger-than-expected turnout at the event, hosted by the Delta County Veterans Council, Veterinary Center and the Upper Peninsula Military Museum.

ESCANABA — Veterans Day ceremonies were held across the country Monday to honor and thank America’s service members. The one organized by the Delta County Veterans Council, Veterinary Center and the Upper Peninsula Military Museum was held at short notice on the eleventh day of the eleventh month and featured Derek Gagne as the keynote speaker. The timing is traditional, but other elements were new in 2024.

For a change of pace this year, the Escanaba ceremony was held in the Delta Chamber of Commerce building. The venue gave veterans the opportunity to visit the Upper Peninsula Military Museum, which is in the same building at 1001 N. Lincoln Rd.

After an introduction during which master of ceremonies Craig Woerpel discussed the history of Armistice Day, recognized for the first time on the anniversary of the end of the First World War, and whose name was officially changed to Veterans Day by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. — an invocation was given by Jay Krummich, chaplain of the Delta County Veterans Council.

Woerpel then recognized a table that had been set up to “symbolize the fact that members of our armed forces are absent from our ranks,” he said solemnly, then pointed to the representative items on the table. He was dressed in a white cloth for pure intentions, a red rose for shed blood, a slice of lemon for the bitter fate of prisoners of war/MIA, salt for fallen tears, a candle for hope. A glass next to the plate was spilled – because lost individuals cannot win and dine with those left on Earth.

Following the national anthem, attention was drawn to the members and representatives in attendance of the Delta County Veterans Council, AMVETS Post 123, American Legion Post 82, American Legion Post 71, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2998, Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Chapter 24, Marine Corps League Detachment 444, Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 1976, Sons of American Legion Squadron 71, Escanaba Vet Center and special guests.

Derek Gagné, a member of the Hannahville community, served in the U.S. Army’s Operation Freedom in 2004 and was wounded twice. He received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star Medal and an Army Medal. Gagne spoke about his inspiration for joining the military and his accomplishments, as well as how he came to find activities he enjoyed after losing his leg. He races cars, plays basketball, and rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle given to him by Hogs for Heroes.

In Iraq, Gagné learned that girls could not go to school beyond the sixth or seventh grade.

“We started setting up schools… so they could go to grade 10, then grade 12, and now they can go abroad to study at university, which took a long time,” said Won. He said that after seeing that Iraqi children loved soccer, American soldiers also began organizing soccer tournaments for them, doing something positive for the children while carrying out their missions.

The final speaker was Steve Kwarciany, commander of the Delta County Veterans Council, who entered the U.S. Air Force in 1993 as a fighter jet mechanic and retired in 2015 at the rank of Master Sergeant. He has served in several operations over the years and now holds positions in several local veterans organizations. Kwarciany thanked all veterans for their service and for inspiring younger generations.

A group of students from the Escanaba Area Public Schools Indian Education Program, led by Woerpel and Skip Blanc, played and sang in a drum circle to honor Native Americans like Gagné who served.

A wall inside the Upper Peninsula Military Museum is dedicated specifically to Native Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces who came from the UP. All attendees of Monday’s ceremony were invited to tour the museum after lunch, sponsored by the Island Resort and Casino and others. community donors.