Veterans Day marked in Deltona

Al Everson
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Veterans Day marked in Deltona
BEACON PHOTOS/AL EVERSON; FROM A PARENT WHOSE CHILDREN ARE ON DUTY — Deltona City Manager Dale “Doc” Dougherty welcomes those attending the Veterans Day program. Dougherty said he and his wife have four children who are now serving as Army officers, following their graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and he thanked the veterans in the audience for their “service and sacrifice,” adding that veterans “represent the best of America.”

Remembering the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 106 years ago, when the guns fell silent along the Western Front of World War I. At last, after four years of bitter fighting, soldiers of both the Allies and the Central Powers emerged from their trenches without fear of being killed, wounded or gassed. That day became known as Armistice Day, marking the cease-fire agreement and Germany’s surrender.

AN ELITE VETERAN OFFERS PERSPECTIVE — In marking the significance of the holiday, former Navy SEAL Loren King tells those gathered that the need to recognize those who have served goes beyond a single holiday. “It’s important to remember that veterans are demanding of us 365 days a year,” he said. King added that the trouble for those who serve often continues after their tours of duty. “More than 6,000 veterans a year take their own lives,” King noted, urging those who have such self-destructive thoughts to seek help. King is also a former Deltona city commissioner.

As in large cities and small towns across the country, traditional Veterans Day ceremonies in Deltona’s Veterans Memorial Park attracted approximately 120 people who took time to pay tribute to those who have served or who are now serving in the U.S. armed forces.

RECALLING YESTERYEAR — Will Euverard and his wife, Joan, share Veterans Day and the memories of his service in the U.S. Navy. Euverard said he is medically retired from his time of service in naval aviation 1954-58. He added he and his wife have lived in Deltona for about 50 years. As for his thoughts on the holiday, Euverard said, “I’m just happy to be alive.”
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Al Everson
Born in Virginia, Al spent his youth in Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia, and first moved to DeLand in 1969. He graduated from Stetson University in 1971, and returned to West Volusia in 1985. Al began working for The Beacon as a stringer in 1999, contributing articles on county and municipal government and, when he left his job as the one-man news department at Radio Station WXVQ, began working at The Beacon full time.

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