Sherwood celebrates Veterans Day

Hundreds of citizens turned out to honors Sherwoodian veterans on Veterans Day.

The City of Sherwood hosted its annual event honoring local veterans with a recognition brunch on Tuesday, November 11 at the Sherwood Center for the Arts. The American Legion Post 56 Color Guard performed a posting of the colors, setting up the state and national flags.

Veterans and their families were welcomed with local musical entertainment from the Tristan Weitkamp Jazz Trio and the Sherwood High School Mixolydians a cappella group, who sang a medley of U.S. Armed Forces songs and led the Star Spangled Banner. Weitkamp, a saxophone player, is a Sherwood High School band and jazz ensemble conductor.

Mayor Rosener was in attendance leading the Pledge of Allegiance and giving remarks honoring local veterans for their service and dedication. Rosener said he is an Air Force veteran.

“Let's take one more moment to express our deepest gratitude to the men and women of our armed forces, past, present, and currently serving each of you, in your own way, who has stood between danger and our way of life,” Rosener said. “Your service reminds us that liberty is not self-sustaining. It endures because ordinary people choose extraordinary courage, because you choose to serve.”

Rosener said Sherwoodians should take a moment to thank a veteran, and not let the gratitude end with the holiday.

“Regardless of where you stand on the politics of deployment, we can all agree that these men and women wear the uniform of our state and our country, and they deserve our respect, our gratitude, and unwavering support,” Rosener said. “Thank you for your courage, for your sacrifice, and your devotion to this country we call home.”

Sherwood Police Officer James Wolfer is a 12-year veteran of the Coast Guard Reserve, search and rescue, and law enforcement. He was stationed in Seattle and Portland, and has now been in Sherwood for about five years.

“It’s nice to see the city recognize veterans,” Wolfer said. “(Sherwood) is a very supportive community, they’re a really great community with each other, and then with both the police and fire services.”

Robert Garon, pastor with Sherwood Friends Church, said he is a Navy veteran, and his son is currently serving in the Coast Guard.

“This day is personal for me, as I'm sure it is for all of you, veterans day isn't just about looking back, it's about remembering what's possible because of what we've done,” Garon said. “We chose service over comfort, duty over self, purpose over popularity — and that choice made quietly and courageously, that's what keeps our country's freedom alive. The uniform may come off, but the call to service, that never does.”

Garon said the heartbeat of service is sacrificing yourself so others can live freely. 

“In the Navy, I learned that courage isn't something that is where you stand in place of fear. It's not the absence of fear, it's you standing your post no matter what,” Garon said. “And in all of veteran history, all of us in whatever branch we were in, we did that. We stood our post.”

He said the greatest battles are not fought on foreign soil, they’re fought here at home in how we live, love, and lead with integrity.

“So today, I want to say thank you to all of you. Thank you for your courage, thank you for your endurance, thank you for your example, thank you for showing a generation, including my son, what honor really looks like,” Garon said.

Later, the American Legion Post 56 is hosting its annual Veterans Day Dinner, serving spaghetti and salad free for all Legion, Sons of the American Legion, and Auxiliary members, as well as guests for $7 a plate, at 5:30 p.m.