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Athens Honors Veterans, Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day

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Veterans from multiple branches of the armed forces marched down Court Street Sunday to honor veterans and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.

However, before the morning parade on Sunday, veterans from Gilham-Frank VFW Post 8804 of News Marshfield as well as several Athens Sunrise Rotary Club volunteers placed flags on hundreds of veteran graves at the West Union Street cemetery on Saturday.

Vietnam Veteran, Carolyn Cade of Athens, Ohio.

Vietnam veteran, Carolyn Cade, said it was a cold day to be out at the cemetery Saturday but said she is always more than willing to honor those who served with her.

“We have a certain number of people who die every year who were in the armed forces who were out trying to keep the freedom for this country,” Cade said. “I think it’s important we honor them and that young people learn about what we did and what the ones recently have done.”

Cade served as an Army nurse for 20 years and was one of only 9,000 women who served during Vietnam.

“I primarily worked in surgery and psychiatry and it was an honor to serve with the men in our country,” Cade said. ” I often think about the people I helped in the hospital and where they are now.”

As a result from serving our country, Cade suffers from PTSD, a disorder that many veterans suffer from. Cade said she suffered greatly from PTSD when she first returned from serving and she now has a sense of “subconscious stress” all the time.

Cade said she felt that she couldn’t admit she had PTSD when she first returned from the Army, but now feels it is more recognized and understood as a serious mental illness.

“It’s important to get help and share your experiences with other people,” Cade said.   ” Yes, it’s a mental disorder but that’s alright. It didn’t used to be OK to admit it and many people suffer from it, not just veterans.”

The Colour Guard of VFW Post 9893 of Albany is seen presented the colours in the Veteran's Day parade on the Court Street in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2019. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
Joann Woffe sings Nathinal Anthem at the Veteran's Day ceremony in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2018. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
Members of girl scouts come to the Veteran's Day ceremony to thank those veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
Brigadier General Curt Heady makes a speech at the Veteran's Day ceremony, which marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2018. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
Matt Hoisington, a commander who served at Sal squadron 21, sits with other veterans at the Veteran's Day ceremony in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2019. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
Parker and Isabelle from the girls scout celebrate at the Veteran's Day parade in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2018. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
A squad of OU millitary students passes through the Ohio University College Gate in Athens, Ohio, on Nov.11, 2018.(WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
Ed Yost and Brian Johnson from the Colour Guard of VFW Post 9893 of Albany wait for the ceremony begin in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2018. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
The eagle figure on the tip of the colour shines in the sunlight at the ceremony in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2018. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)
Doves get released at the end of the ceremony in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 2018. (WOUB/ Wangyuxuan Xu)

Along with veterans receiving more help with issues related to PTSD, Cade says people respect veterans more than what they did years ago.

“People say thank you now. When I first came home from Vietnam people would spit at us because they felt the military should have gotten us out of Vietnam,”  Cade said. “People are more gracious now.”

Cade says she enjoys participating in the Veterans Day parade and that this was her 15th year being apart of it. She said it’s important to honor those who fought for our freedom, especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Cade, along with other Veterans and community members can continue to honor the men and women who served our country by seeing Ohio University’s School of Music’s show: “Tribute to Veterans.” The show begins at 8 p.m. Monday at the Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium and admission is free.