Local Veterans Day events also focus on American flag

Dozens of volunteers raised flags at dawn Saturday in Cape Girardeau and Jackson to pay their respects to the military — and, often, the American flag — on Veterans Day.

With help from more than 30 Adult & Teen Challenge Mid-America volunteers, the Avenue of Flags in Cape County Park North erected 640 flags this year, adding 19 commemorations for newly represented families of veterans at a ceremony led by David Cantrell, a Cape Girardeau resident and Navy captain of 30 years.

At 11 a.m., Cantrell went without a script, speaking from his heart to the crowd of about 100 at Cape Girardeau’s Veterans Day ceremony on Freedom Corner in Capaha Park.

Gold Star mother and featured speaker Jean Hogan, with her two sons, Mark and Kevin, and family members in attendance, told the story of her son, Bill Hogan, who died Nov. 29, 1970, aboard a C-121 cargo plane while serving in the Vietnam War.

Beneath billowing military flags sat a large photo of Bill Hogan — Jean’s favorite photo, and the last of her son.

The Jackson Marching Band performs Saturday during the Veterans Day parade in Jackson.Andrew J. Whitaker

“He was an aircraft mechanic, and he had come in off a flight,” Jean said. “He wrote on the back of that picture. He said, ‘Big hero. Helmet, parachute and everything!’”

Former Southeast Missouri State University baseball coach Mark Hogan also spoke to the crowd as a member of the Gold Star family.

“For 47 years, we’ve been a Gold Star family, and proudly,” Hogan said. “I can tell you from a person who’s lived with this as a real Gold Star family member. We are very proud Americans. We are very proud to stand with our hand on our heart, and we are very proud of the veterans and the families that have given everything to give us the life we have in this beautiful country.”

The midday tribute drew a mix of veterans and local families. Some came for personal reasons, such as Cape Girardeau resident Anne Hendrix, whose uncle, U.S. Army veteran Burt Lehman, died Friday morning.

“He usually participated in this event with the American Legion,” Hendrix said. “It just felt extra special to be here today, since he can’t be.”

Mark Hogan hugs his mother Jean Hogan during a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday at Freedom Corner in Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

Others, such as American Legion Post 369 commander Verlon Parker, came out of obligation. Joined by fellow Post 369 members, the crew stood holding American flags at each corner of the intersection of Broadway and North West End Boulevard.

“We’re all veterans, and this is the best thing you could ever do,” Parker said, “especially right now, where we’ve got so much dismay on the American flag. The American flag is our symbol of the United States. Nobody should disgrace our American flag. I don’t care who.”

Vietnam veteran and parade organizer David Hitt expressed similar opinions, saying he wanted Jackson’s Veterans Day parade to focus on the flag more than it has in the past.

“With all the negative publicity and NFL and all that stuff towards the flag and the national anthem, we’ve dedicated the parade this year to the flag,” Hitt said. “It’s plain and simple — to the flag.”

Saturday afternoon, hundreds of Jackson families showed their appreciation for service personnel at the 4 p.m. parade through the uptown area, rife with American flags and patriotic music courtesy of the Oak Ridge High School marching band.

Although stationed with the Navy in Memphis, Tennessee, Sharleen Ciesielska of Bakersfield, California, attended the parade while visiting friends in Jackson. She noticed the area’s outpouring of support for members of the military.

“Me, I’m currently serving. I’m just here. This is meant for [the veterans] over here,” she said, gesturing to those in the parade.

Led by a color guard of American Legion Post 158, the parade featured community members and veterans riding in vintage vehicles.

Local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts marched alongside members from local VFW and American Legion posts as members of the Missouri Veterans Home rode in a shuttle escorted by motorcyclists.

Anchored by the Jackson Marching Chiefs, the parade came to an end as “America, the Beautiful” echoed through uptown Jackson just before sundown.

While taking down the display of flags at Brookside Park in Jackson on Saturday afternoon, Hitt said he’s volunteered with Veterans Day events for over 15 years.

“It’s my duty to do it every year, and I think it’s very beautiful,” he said. “The city is proud of it, and I’m proud of our city.”

bmatthews@semissourian.com

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