Two stones stand together next to the West Tisbury town flag pole. One is old, dotted with lichen and displaying a faded green plaque that honors the town’s World War I and World War II veterans. The other stone is freshly carved with a bright copper plaque and honors the town’s Korean, Viet Nam and Persian Gulf veterans.
On Thursday morning, under bright, clear skies, a crowd of about 30 people gathered, some in uniform, some not, for the dedication of this new memorial. Flag bearers held the American, West Tisbury and American Legion flags.
Veterans in attendance ranged from Gene DeFelice, a 95-year-old Marine Captain who served in World War II and the Korean War, to a young man recently home from Afghanistan.
Town selectman and board chairman Richard Knabel greeted the crowd and thanked the many people who worked for years to make the new monument a reality. He called it a token of thanks to those who voluntarily find themselves in far away places fighting for their country.
“That experience will change their lives . . . we can’t say thank you enough,” he said. “Even though we have room on the plaque for a lot more names and conflicts, and I support the recognition of the people who serve, I hope we never have to add more names.”
Lieut. Col. David Berube, a chaplain in the National Guard, led a prayer, followed by a short speech. All the veterans Mr. Berube has spoken with share three broad motivations he said: honor bound duty, devoted commitment and self-sacrificing service, he said.
“All veterans sacrificed for our service,” he said. “We didn’t do it for praise or because we are martyrs, we did it because it needed to be done. We all gave some portion of ourselves to protect the heart and soul of America.”
The new West Tisbury memorial was just one stop in two days full of honoring Island veterans. Earlier on Thursday morning, there was a dedication at the Korean & Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Bridge (also known as the Lagoon Pond drawbridge).
And on Friday, Veterans Day, the avenue of flags will be placed at 7:30 a.m. in the Oak Grove Cemetery. In all, 450 flags will be lined up to honor the memory of Island veterans. The flags will be taken down at 3 p.m.
A parade begins at 10:45 a.m., starting out at Nancy’s Snack Bar in Oak Bluffs. Director of veterans affairs Jo Ann Murphy suggested people arrive at 10:30, as the parade always starts on time.
“We used to leave from the VFW, but as people get older and older we moved a bit closer and closer,” Ms. Murphy said.
The parade will end in Ocean Park, with a ceremony held at the Oak Bluffs monument at 11 a.m. Veterans Day is celebrated every year on Nov. 11, and the ceremony held at 11 a.m., as this marks the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the armistice of World War I was reached.
After the parade, a ceremony will be held at Windermere for the veterans who live there.
Ms. Murphy estimates there are about 400 veterans on the Island. Three core organizations, the VFW, the Vineyard Haven Legion and the Edgartown Legion, support them. At Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, a group of combat veterans meets every week.
“Veterans tend to stick together,” Ms. Murphy said. “There’s that camaraderie.”
A day of honor for veterans is especially important for those who have been disparaged for their service, Ms. Murphy said. She remembered an incident during the Viet Nam era when she was returning from basic training in uniform and someone told her she should be ashamed. Other veteran’s had it worse, she said.
“Some of these guys were spit on,” she said. “When you enlist in the military, you write a check to the U.S. government up to and including your life.”
With the end of the draft, the military relies entirely on volunteers, Mr. Berube added.
“For me, that’s why Veterans Day is such an important holiday,” he said.
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