The primary purpose of Veterans Day is to say thank you "to those who have served and who continue to serve," Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said Monday, but noted it is also important to recognize the support of the service members' family, neighbors and friends.
"I call them the force multiplier. Their support enables the service member to do their job," Griffin, speaking at the community's annual Veterans Day Service, said. Because of the inclement weather, the event was held under the pavilion at the Hot Springs Farmers & Artisans Market, across the street from the Garland County Veterans Memorial and Military Park.
"The city really helped us out with that, allowing us to move it over there," Jo West Davis, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee, said Monday.
The 2018 Veterans Day Parade, which was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, was canceled because of the weather, Steve Smith, parade committee chairman, said. The committee previously announced the parade would be held today in case of rain, but the members decided Monday to forgo rescheduling, for logistical reasons.
Griffin stressed the importance of the support of family and friends to service members, especially those "in harm's way," noting, "It only adds to their stress if they have to worry about things going on back home. Knowing things at home are handled and taken care of relieves that stress.
"I saw this in Iraq. If they are stressed they are not 100 percent focused on their mission and that makes it more dangerous for them on the battlefield. All these people come together and provide the support that allows them to have that focus. That helps a great deal, so in addition to thanking the service members and veterans, I want to tip my hat to those who support them."
Griffin said an example of how important the service members are to this country is how "we go the extra mile" to locate those who are missing in action. "There is a complete federal agency dedicated to that," he said.
He noted how they even have divers "literally vacuuming silt off the ocean floor looking for bone fragments. They found the wedding ring of a service member on an ocean floor on the other side of the world," he said, and were able to gather enough of the service member's remains "to bring them back and give them a proper burial."
Spotting a young child near the front of the crowd, Griffin said, "It's great to see young people at these events," noting that it was the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, a war his grandfather fought in. One hundred years from today, "how many people will be sitting here? Will they even still hold this?"
"It won't happen automatically. There is no guarantee the next generation will feel the same way we do, that they will salute the flag or stand up for the 'Star-Spangled Banner.' I believe they will, but it will happen because we do this today," he said. "Because they see us doing this."
While it is important to say thanks to the veterans, Griffin said another important purpose of events like the Veterans Day Service is "education for the next generation. So this continues to happen after all of us are gone. So in 100 years there aren't five people standing here. This child is being educated. This is important. We need to do this.
"You can tell a kid something, but it's more important to show them. Show them that we take time out of our day to honor veterans. To show them why it matters," he said, noting they need to understand the reason they are free to "download the latest apps" and other activities is because of the veterans.
"If they hadn't fought for our freedom, we wouldn't be able to do any of that," he said.
Veterans Day was observed Monday by presidential proclamation since the holiday fell on a Sunday this year.
Local on 11/13/2018