Post 12 hosts with rainout for outdoor remembrance at Seaborn Jones Park memorial

Usually, Veterans Day is a time for men and women who served the country to get the opportunity to be remembered for their sacrifices and is held outdoors around the memorial at Seaborn Jones Park in Rockmart.

Tradition unfortunately was sidetracked on Friday morning when rainy weather forced the location indoors, and some minor changes to the program honoring those who volunteered – or in some cases drafted – to defend the nation.

Cedartown High School Cross Country coach and US Navy vet Richard Shortt provided this year’s address during the Veterans Day ceremony held by Post 12.

He grew emotional remembering the men and women he served with during his years at sea in defense of the nation. He also talked about the importance of the day, and how he shares the meaning of Veterans Day with youth as an educator.

“To me, what Veterans Day means as a teacher, I use it to teach children what we’re all about,” he said. “I’m not a history teacher, I teach the sciences. I have in my room on my wall, a recruiting poster for the Army, for the Air Force and obviously for the Navy. It gives the children something to talk about. It gives me a tool to let the children know that they can do other things, they can have other dreams and fulfill those dreams.”

He added that “I teach today’s youth that freedom is not free. I remind them that they have the opportunity to go to school, have a family and live in peace and prosperity because of the sacrifice of those who went before us.”

“I tell them never to forget the sacrifice that went before us, ones that are serving now and the ones that will have to serve in the future,” he said. “Sometimes to drive this point home, I’ll talk about military affairs. And one thing that gets their attention, I’ll put up

WATCH: Full ceremony from American Legion Post 12

The Friday remembrance ceremony was one of two ceremonies in Polk County on Friday. Cedartown also held a service at the American Legion Post 86.

The annual remembrance of Veterans Day was first held in 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama. Before November 11 was put on the calendar as a national holiday honoring service men and women, it was Remembrance Day, which marked the official end of the First World War in 1918 on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour and 11th minute. This is when the armistice between the warring nations went to effect, and the guns fell silent after four years of brutal conflict in Europe on the western front.

“On November 11, 1919, Woodrow Wilson issued a message on what he felt the day meant to Americans,” Shortt said. “He stated we as a country forgot all about our personal concerns, it changed how we did everything. Our industry changed, our agriculture changed, the day to day living of all Americans changed, because it affected the whole country. We were in the midst of a World War, and it helped us bring the war to a victorious end.”