The city of Elkhart honors local veterans during a ceremony on Veterans Day

 

ELKHART, Ind -- The city of Elkhart commemorating Veterans Day at Rice Cemetery where local fallen heroes are laid to rest.

On the 11th day, of the 11th month, during the 11th hour, the city of Elkhart stands together and honor those who served and fought for our country.

"Being a veteran, I’ve always honored those who kept us the way we are. A free nation, under God," said for Elkhart Mayor Dick Moore.

Former Elkhart Mayor Dick Moore served as a member of the U.S. Navy prior to becoming the city's leader from 2008 until 2015.

Today he joined current Mayor Rod Roberson for a traditional salute to those uniform.

"We are a community that we rally together when it’s time to defend, we support each other when it’s time to ensure that those rights aren’t being impugned on and so this is a day in which we all can do this together and I am more than proud and humbled to be the mayor," said Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson.

The event honoring American service members who've served across the world both past and present and they have all earned our gratitude and a salute.

"The veterans have just literally just supported America. There’s no doubt about that. Through all the wars, through all the events that we’ve been involved in, that’s what kept us going," said Moore.

The memory of the 13 service members who lost their lives to terrorist suicide bombings during the evacuation of Afghanistan at teh Kabul Airport in August, also weighing heavily on those in attendance.

"The uniqueness about serving is not lost on the risk of life and for those 13 who passed just recently in service to our country, are not unlike those that I’m standing in front of right now," said Roberson.