Nov. 11, 2006 – The parade was small and so was the crowd, but the prayers that the nation's military return home safely from Iraq and Afghanistan were big.
"Give our country a new direction," the Rev. Ray Joseph said Saturday in a Cruz Bay Park ceremony that followed the Veterans Day parade.
The parade from the Cruz Bay bulkhead to the park and the ceremony were organized by the American Legion Viggo E. Sewer Post 131 and its auxiliary. Post namesake Sewer died in the Korean War in 1953, and both his brother and sister participated in the parade.
Legion member Aubrey Sewer was just a child when his brother died at age 21, but remembers him well.
"He was very athletic. He did everything exceptionally well," Sewer said, noting that his brother was very patriotic. Aubrey Sewer's sister, Maria Lett, serves as the auxiliary's secretary.
Those serving now in the military should be told they are supported even though the Iraq war is unpopular with many Americans, said another Legion member, Edmond Roberts. The day is important because it honors those who died in service to their country, he said.
"They made the ultimate sacrifice," Roberts said.
The 15 marchers also included St. John Cub Scouts and one of the island's more senior veterans, Andrew "Captain Magic" Yellen. A Korean War veteran now slowed by a stroke, Yellen rode the parade route in a van.
"I have to honor the flag," he said.
In addition to the American and V.I. flags displayed for the parade and the ceremony, Legion members Elmo Rabsatt Sr. and Paul Devine unfurled a black flag remembering the prisoners of war and those missing in action.
It's important to remember those who served, said St. John resident Chuck Pishko, one of the people gathered in the park for the post-parade ceremony.
"And I go to everything," he joked.
Legion member Paul Devine spoke about the origins of Veterans Day, first observed after the end of World War I as Armistice Day.
"There's been so many wars since then, that the government decided Veterans Day was more appropriate," he said.
Legion members recently expanded activities on St. John to include a Tuesday night bingo game, Devine noted. It runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bellevue Village Community Center. The organization is also running a co-educational flag-football program for youths ages 9 to 14.
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