Local residents gathered to honor the service and sacrifice of veterans on a balmy November day.

The Sachse Historical Society hosted a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, with veterans, residents and elected officials in attendance at the 11th annual event.

The ceremony began with Bob Soule chiming the bell at the museum 11 times before American Heritage Girls Troop 2777 presented the colors.

Following a brief invocation, Soule presented a commemorative coin to the family of Howard W. Green honoring his service. One side of the coin had a folded American flag, which is presented to the family of deceased servicemembers at their funerals. The other side of the coin had Howard W. Green’s birth year, death year and an inscription that read, “for service to a grateful nation.”

Ed Brown introduced the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Becky Welch who is the surviving spouse of 1LT Robert F. Welch III.

Becky spoke about the importance of honoring veterans and the service and sacrifice of both them and their families.

“In our country, we’ve seen the ups and downs of the respect we show to our veterans,” Becky said. “It is so important for us, the older generation, to teach the youth to remember what sacrifice means for our country.”

When gathering to honor our veterans, said Becky, it is important to understand how much families and servicemembers give up with missed holidays and other life events.

“When you think of our servicemembers, they do so much and give up so much every day,” Becky said. “Alongside them, there’s a family and I want to tell you today about what service looks like from the family side.”

Robert’s service began in the Texas National Guard, said Becky, where they met several other servicemembers and their families. While both were finishing up their college studies, they watched others get deployed, which she said was hard on her and her husband.

For the full story, see the Nov. 10 issue of The Sachse News.