Coast Honors Veterans with Annual Salute to the Military

Tuesday night’s Salute to the Military is the 36th the Chamber of Commerce has sponsored and is one of the biggest yet. About 1,000 service men and women visited the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and were treated to dinner, a show, and a speech from one of the joint Chiefs of Staff.

Our country is known as the leader of the free world, but we didn’t start that way. We earned that title on the blood and sweat of countless soldiers from every branch of the military. General Frank J. Grass, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, says, "I knew I had to get down here to be a part of this. It’s been about 36 years, and getting to represent 460,000 Army and Air guardsmen every day is quite an honor."

While every branch of the military was represented Tuesday evening, special tribute was given to the Guard and Reserve, something Congressman Steven Palazzo knows very well, having served in either the Guard or the Reserves for the past 25 years. Palazzo says, "Being able to take that experience and being able to advocate on behalf of not just our Guard and Reservists, but all the branches that serve, active duty and veterans and their families in Washington, helps me have a unique perspective so I can fight for them and their families."

Tuesday night’s Salute to the Military supported every branch of the military and every soldier, from the ones currently serving in the Middle East to the some of the very first, who fought with General Washington to free us from English tyranny.

Service men and women and their loved ones weren’t the only ones who came to show their appreciation. The biker group known as the Patriot Guard Riders pulled up to greet each soldier personally. Sandie Schlett, Senior RC of the Patriot Guard Riders, says, "Everyone involved just has a deep appreciation for the military and what they do. Many of the people who are involved with us are veterans themselves, and they know the sacrifices and the things the military families go through."

The families of soldiers, many times, are unsung heroes, something Gary Harrington, a Vietnam veteran who now uses art to spread his message of peace, knows all too well. Harrington says, "It’s kind of an oxymoron to think that you can fight for peace, but we must. We have to fight for peace and we have to fight for our freedom."

That’s something our brave soldiers will continue to do every day.