“Without veterans, America would not be America,” guest speaker Russell Robinson said to residents and veterans on the town common Monday morning. “Veterans Day is about serving them as well as they have served our nation.”
Robinson served as a head and neck surgeon for the military in Da Nang, Vietnam in 1971. Every week, he said Chinook helicopters delivered between 15 and 25 badly wounded combatants to the hospital, and he’d spend up to 48 hours on end in the operating room. Robinson described the “unbelievable stories of commitment and sacrifices” he heard from soldiers recovering after operations.
The town’s Veterans Day ceremonies took place at the foot of the Buddy Monument on the town common. Rev. Emily Preston led the assembly in prayer, and veterans marched Main Street in uniform.
Among the crowd was the staff of Red’s of Jaffrey staff, many wearing their work uniforms. “We’re all patriots,” Eric Christian said of the businesses’ decision to turn out en masse.