Veterans from Onondaga County were honored today during an annual event at the War Memorial. All branches of the US Military were represented. The Goldstar Mothers who make sure their son’s or daughter’s ultimate sacrifices are never forgotten were at the front of the room. The assistant director of the county veterans service agency, Cindy Meili says she’s honored to support these families.
The Veteran of the Year Award was presented to Sheriff Toby Shelley. He recalled how difficult it was when he came back to the U-S from Iraq. Shelly tried to make sense of both his and military colleagues’ efforts and why they made a difference. Former Congressmember Dan Maffei gave him some advice.
“He said, ‘You go into wars like Iraq who don’t necessarily have a finish line to win. It gives us heroes in America.’ And he’s 100% right; it brought a lot of heroes to America but, it also brought a number of Goldstar Mothers who are the true heroes in this thing.”
A plaque was unveiled to honor the members of a subcommittee charged with guiding restoration work of the War Memorial. It’s located just outside the memorial Hall where gigantic murals have been professionally cleaned. If you’re a Veteran in need of assistance, contact the Veterans Service Agency at (315) 435-3117.
