The phrase "thank you for your service" has new meaning to Sturgeon Bay High School students and other attendees of Monday's Door County Veterans Day ceremony. Dozens of veterans filled rows of chairs and were also sprinkled in with students during the roughly 80-minute ceremony inside the Sturgeon Bay High School gymnasium. Following performances by the Sturgeon Bay band and choir, veterans involved in the county's seven military organizations were all individually recognized before every veteran and their branch of service were also honored.
During his keynote address, VFW Post 3088 Commander Joe Knaapen explored the phrase "thank you for your service," a sentiment shared by many veterans throughout the year. Knaapen says the service they are being thanked for was their job at the time. He focused on the service many veterans explored when they came home from war and supported their communities. One of those veterans was former Sturgeon Bay mayor and U.S. Representative Ed Minor, who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War before being asked to serve again at home.
Door County will hold a second Veterans Day ceremony and luncheon on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at the Door County Aging and Disability Resource Center in Sturgeon Bay.
