By Edita McQuary
Several hundred people gathered at Watsonville’s Mello Center to commemorate Veterans Day. As in the past, the Watsonville Band and soloist Diana McGuffey enhanced the program.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Harry Wiggins welcomed the audience and served as emcee.
Members of American Legion Post 121, VFW Post 1726, and Watsonville Knights of Columbus Council 958 arranged the program.
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Interim Superintendent Murry Schekman’s staff and students served as ushers and were especially solicitous of people with disabilities.
Schekman announced that Applebee’s was treating all veterans and their families to a free lunch at their Watsonville restaurant.
Watsonville dignitaries Mayor Eduardo Montesino, county Supervisor Felipe Hernandez and former county supervisor Greg Caput were in attendance.
Leon Panetta
Special guest former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta related that when he was director of the ClA, as they were making plans to take down Osama bin Laden, seven American operatives were killed while meeting with an Arab they did not know was a double agent. He stressed the importance of American unity in these troubled times.
Awards were presented to U.S. Army Sgt. Richard Squier, VFW Post 1716, and U.S. Army Specialist David Trevino, American Legion Post 121. Sgt.Trevino’s widow and granddaughter accepted his award.
A moving part of the annual Veterans Day event is when the Watsonville Community Band plays the theme song of each military branch and the men and women who served in that branch stand to be recognized.
Lt. Col. Wiggins introduced Ray Burgess, age 99, a World War II veteran, who fought and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge.
Father Jason Simas of St. Patrick’s Church, who gave the invocation, also gave the closing prayer.
As usual, it is good to be reminded why we are a free country and to acknowledge and thank the men and women who served in the military to insure this freedom.