A day to remember and give thanks

The wail of bagpipes broke the icy silence at the Littleton World War II Memorial on Nov. 11, as dozens of veterans and their loved ones gathered amid a snowstorm to honor and remember.

The annual Veterans Day ceremony, hosted by the Littleton chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, drew men and women who served their nation across continents and decades.

Mayor Debbie Brinkman — whose father served in the Marines and mother was in the Navy — said the day was a good one to ask a veteran to share his or her story, or simply to remember those who have been lost.

“Soldiers never die until they are forgotten,” Brinkman said, quoting a slogan used by the Old Guard, the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. “Tomb Guards never forget.”

The cold, snowy day still inspired warm feelings in Stan McClure, who served with the Army in Vietnam.

“I’m just so thankful that we have this opportunity to say thanks and reminisce,” McClure said.

“Besides,” McClure said, “I’ll take the snow over the jungles of Vietnam any day.”