photo by: Craig Howell

State Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, reminds those gathered Tuesday for Weirton's Veterans Day service of the importance of the work of all veterans in serving the nation.

“The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month is a moment our nation pauses to pay tribute,” noted Weirton Mayor Dean Harris during a ceremony held in the Weirton Room of the Millsop Community Center Tuesday in observance of Veterans Day.

Area residents gathered at the appointed time, as in many other communities across the country, to show appreciation to those who have stepped forward, giving of themselves in the protection of their nation.

For Harris, that included his father, Second Lt. David M. Harris, who served as as a navigator with the 44th Bomber Group in the Army Air Forces during World War II. His plane was shot down over Berlin in June 1944, and he would spend 10 months in prison camps, including Stalag Luft III in Poland.

“My dad, like most, never spoke of the war,” Harris said, adding his father primarily discussed his time in the military by acknowledging that he had been called to serve his country.

State Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, an Air Force Reserves veteran, noted there were many who felt the same call to put on the uniform and serve their country.

He felt the same call while in college, following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

“It changed how I viewed the world,” Weld said.

However, he noted not everyone joined the military out of the same calling. Some saw it as an opportunity for job training or to earn money for college, some have opted for the National Guard, while some have been presented with military service as an option to avoid time in prison.

Then, he said, there were those who weren’t given a choice.

“They received a telegram or a letter, or saw their number called on television,” Weld said, referring to the draft system actively used in military recruitment for the United States until 1973.

He noted the importance of that service, especially for those “everyday” veterans who were the backbone of the military, making certain things got done while others made the headlines.

“These are the veterans we thank the most,” he said.

Tuesday’s service concluded with the presentation of 10 wreaths by area organizations, including the American Legion Post 10 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars 2716 and their auxiliaries, with a salute to the dead and the playing of taps by the American Legion Honor Guard.