Ten people attended Dowagiac’s Veterans Day observance Saturday morning at American Legion Post 563.
Commander Lawrence O. Starrett Jr. returned after missing in 2010 due to sickness.
His daughter, Clarawayne Wolford, gave remarks recalling President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1919, for the one-year anniversary of the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I, in which 16 Dowagiac men perished.
“The day was set aside to honor those who fought for our country during what was then known as the war to end all wars. Today the holiday encompasses veterans of all wars, celebrating their patriotism, honoring their valor and recognizing the sacrifices they made. Most Americans view Veterans Day as simply a day off. People don’t remember its true meaning. It is sad that in our high-paced lifestyles we cannot take a small amount of time out of our day to honor all American veterans. What a shame for the over 620,000 Americans who died in the Civil War, 400,000 in World War II“ (54 from Dowagiac) and all those serving in Iraq and in Afghanistan.”
Dowagiac lost 10 young men in Vietnam and three in Korea.

“It doesn’t matter if you are for or against any type of war,” Wolford said, “there are more than 17 million war veterans alive in the U.S. America is the country of freedom, the first to declare that government exists to serve men. Men do not exist to serve government.
“The best way we can give real meaning to Veterans Day, aside from ceremonies honoring their dedication and bravery, is to promise we will go to war only when America’s interests as a free nation are threatened and wage it in pursuit of victory.
“Mail isn’t delivered on Veterans Day, but the next day the mailbox may contain your cell phone bill. You won’t get a bill for your freedom. That bill has already been paid. The least we can do is to take five minutes out of our day, get off Facebook, stop text messaging and remember all those who have fought and, in some cases, given their lives so we can live freely.”
On Friday, at work at the Council on Aging, “Every veteran I could get to, I shook their hand,” Wolford said.