Mayon: Never forget veterans’ sacrifices

People must never forget the sacrifices veterans have made and should continue to educate younger generations about what veterans have done to defend the country’s freedom, local Vietnam War veteran Terry Mayon said.
Mayon, a Morgan City resident who served in the Air Force in Vietnam, was the guest speaker during Friday's Veterans Day Celebration at Lawrence Park.
The city and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4222 in Morgan City hosted the event.
Friday was a day to honor veterans and their sacrifices for the country and for veterans to remember their friends they served with, both living and dead, Mayon said.
Veterans' work does not end when they retire from the military, Mayon said.
"We continue to defend our constitution by educating our young people about freedom that we enjoy and the sacrifices made to ensure that those freedoms will still be there," Mayon said.
Everyone has "a role to play in preserving our constitution and its guarantees," Mayon said.
The constitution is preserved through participation in the political process and supporting community efforts "to improve the lives and welfare" of people in the country, he said.
"Being a veteran is more than just wearing a cap ... or a symbol of one of the veterans' organizations, such as the American Legion, our Veterans of Foreign Wars or the Marine Corps League," Mayon said.
"We wear these symbols not to be boastful but to show our pride in the fact that we stood up when our country called," Mayon said.
Mayon asked people to give thanks to veterans who served and are serving to protect and, in some instances, die defending Americans' rights, such as the freedom of speech and freedom to gather.
"Wars continue long after the last bullet is fired. We must continue to fight for, preserve those freedoms that so many fought for and so many died for. We must never forget that in war there is no unwounded soldier, sailor, airman or marine," Mayon said.
"We must not forget the veteran who has lost limbs, eyesight or who suffers from the nightmares of war. We must not forget the families who have lost someone they love and those that support the physically or mentally wounded warrior upon their return," Mayon said.
Phelo Keller, 70, of Verdunville, a Vietnam War Army veteran, was among attendees of the celebration.
Keller was a member of the only division that arrived in Vietnam by ship from California in 1964-65, he said.
Jerrel Frederick, 90, of Morgan City, a World War II Army veteran, also attended. Frederick served in Germany and France near the end of the war.
Frederick remembers getting orders to drive into the Alps in the "freezing cold" to follow German leaders who were trying to escape Germany at the end of the war.
"I honor these guys, World War II, Korean conflicts. I really, really respect these veterans," Keller said.
"Y'all taught us what to do," Keller said to Frederick. "And, without them, there was no us."
The East St. Mary Funeral Squad concluded Friday's ceremony with a 21-gun salute.