Members of the Albany and Athens Honor Guard fire an honorary rifle salute during the Veterans Day ceremony in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
ATHENS, OH (WOUB) — The City of Athens’ annual Veterans Day celebration returned on Thursday, after a hiatus last year due to the ongoing pandemic.
Featuring a parade down Court Street ending at College Green, the day’s celebrations included marching bands from Athens, Alexander and Federal Hocking high schools, along with local organizations like AMVETS Motorcycle Riders and Ohio University’s multiple ROTC programs.
Members of the Albany and Athens Honor Guard stand in College Green while taking part in the Veterans Day ceremony in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. The Athens Veterans Day parade, which preceded the ceremony, resumed after having been cancelled the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
[Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Pins identifying William Macak's 24 year service in the Marine Corps are seen pinned to his headgear while he waits to march in the Athens Veterans Day parade, in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. The parade resumed after having been cancelled due to COVID-19 the previous year. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Members of Athens High School marching band perform in the Veterans Day parade after it was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Dick Grinstead, a member of the Albany Honor Guard, walks down Court Street in Athens, Ohio, taking part in the Veterans Day parade which resumed after being cancelled the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Members of the community watch the Athens and Albany Honor Guard walk down Court Street during the Veterans Day parade, in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. The parade resumed after having been cancelled the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Athens, Ohio Mayor Steve Patterson speaks to the audience during a Veterans Day ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Alex Eicher | WOUB]
Attendees of the Athens Veterans Day ceremony watch while standing in College Green, in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. The Athens Veterans Day parade, which preceded the ceremony, resumed after having been cancelled the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Members of the Albany and Athens Honor Guard fire an honorary rifle salute during the Veterans Day ceremony in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Air Force Brig. Gen. Chad Manske speaks during the Veterans Day ceremony in Athens, Ohio on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Alex Eicher | WOUB]
Members of the Ohio University ROTC stand in formation while waiting for the Veterans Day ceremony to start at College Green, in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
George Hess, left, a Navy veteran who served for two and a half years, watches the Veterans Day parade go by in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. “It’s the ability to come out and have freedom,” Hess said when asked about what Veterans Day means to him. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
A member of the Albany Honor Guard salutes the flag during the Veterans Day ceremony on College Green, in Athens, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
Athens and Albany Honor Guard pay respects to veterans on Veterans Day in Athens, Ohio on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. [Alex Eicher | WOUB]
In contrast from the parade, a ceremony on College Green followed — with a proclamation from Athens Mayor Steve Patterson, an Air Force veteran himself, where the mayor asked Athenians to acknowledge that “while we can never fully repay our veterans, we can always respect them.”
The ceremony’s main speaker was retired Brigadier General Chad Manske, a US Air Force veteran of more than 30 years. His speech marked the first time he’d put on his Air Force uniform since retiring in 2019.
“To put this uniform back on, which is the first time I’ve put it on in two years since I retired, is always an honor,” said Manske. “I just feel blessed to have served so long.”
With Manske’s appreciation of his retired uniform, he’s not alone in appreciating the little things on Veterans day. Vietnam veteran Joel Laufman shares a similar sentiment.
“It feels really good to have somebody say ‘thanks,’ and mean it,” said Laufman. “Not that BS ‘thank you for your service’ as an aside, you know, but to look you in your eye and say ‘thank you for what you did.’ You know, that’s pretty cool. Or if they say, even better, is ‘welcome home.'”
Laufman currently runs Athens’ Ornery Vets Cafe, in partnership with OU’s Patton College of Education’s “Restaurant, Hotel and Tourism program” and Passion Works Studio. According to Laufman, the cafe’s goal is to equip veterans with the “education that they need, to get the benefits they need from the VA or local agencies.”
Lasting around an hour and a half in total, the day’s events came to an end around noon. Barring any major COVID-related issues in the city next year, last year’s hiatus is expected to be a one-time issue.
