Local Veterans Day celebration pays tribute to all veterans

The preamble to the U.S Constitution begins with “We the people,” unfortunately the people’s ignorance and lack of understanding of the document have them making decisions based on potentially biased and misleading soundbites and social media, said retired U.S. Army Col. Kenneth Sullivan.

That has contributed to certain declines and a mess in the country, as well as keeping the people from raising a ruckus when the media or elected officials take them down a path contrary to the Constitution, he added.

Sullivan made his remarks Sunday, Nov. 10, during the annual Veterans Day Service sponsored by Mount Olive VFW Post 9959 and American Legion Post 103.

About 40 people attended the ceremony that was held under threatening skies at the Veterans Memorial on West Main Street.

“We are here to honor all veterans — those who have served and the ones who are still serving,” James Benson, VFW Post 9959 commander, said in opening the ceremony.

Sullivan, who also spoke during the town’s May Memorial Day ceremony at Oakview (Maplewood) Cemetery, expressed thanks for being asked to speak again adding that he was honored to do so.

“Veterans, in my opinion, give back a level of service that is unmatched,” said Sullivan, a member of VFW Post 9959. “We serve our times in the service. Some stay to retirement, some for a specific term of service then we move on to other endeavors. We don’t reap extensive monetary gain.

“We don’t have statues built in our honor, but we return to families, communities and states to become everyday American citizens. We take this day to salute you — Mr., Miss, Mrs. America.”

Veterans have much in common, he added.

“We all left home and friends that we were comfortable with when we raised our right hand,” Sullivan said. “We left communities we were comfortable with. We left homes we were familiar with.

“So then we go to training, basic training, somewhere in this nation, and we meet a lot of folks who aren’t like us — different accents, different cultures, different ways of doing things.”

From there veterans move on to their duty station, whether in the U.S. or overseas where they learn that people overseas are much different, he continued.

“But we overcame differences,” Sullivan said. “We became a team, and we accomplished our mission. So veterans, thank you for being a team. One other commonality that we veterans share is that we stand and swear to defend the Constitution of the United States.

“We are the only nation in the world that swears our allegiance to an idea. Other nations swear to support the king, dictator or whomever is in power, but not to an over arching idea or concept of democracy. But not only veterans, all of our elected officials swear to support and defend the same Constitution.”

Sullivan asked audience members how well they know the Constitution or if they have ever read it.

There are pamphlets on it readily available everywhere, he said.

It is good to review the Constitution because people on TV don’t know it, nor do people on social media, Sullivan said. Added to that is a bias supporting agendas on those platforms, he said.

One reason there has been a decline in certain ways in the country is that people form their beliefs around a 30-second soundbite from a biased newscast or print media, Sullivan said.

“Then we believe as facts these little blurbs on Facebook and TikTok,” he said. “Never forget that those outlets have an agenda which may or may not be in line with the Constitution of the United States.

“The reason we have a mess is that we don’t know our Constitution, and we don’t raise a ruckus when media or elected officials take us down a path contrary to that document.”

The Constitution begins with, “We the people,” he said. That means the people are the employer of their elected officials and not the employee of those officials, he said.

“They work for us, but too soon after we seek new elected officials many of them change their attitude about humbly seeking to serve into a stance of where we are here to serve them,” Sullivan said.

He questioned why people allow that to happen.

It is because people do not know about the Constitution and do not hold the elected officials accountable to the Constitution, Sullivan said.

Every four years special groups are promised the moon, sun and stars, but those promises disappear after the election only to return in time for the next election, he said.

Why does that happen, Sullivan asked?

“Because we don’t know our Constitution,” he said. “When our employees, those elected officials, act intentionally contrary to the Constitution, it is treasonous. That is the broadest definition of treason.”

Treason normally is associated with wartime and selling out the country by giving away its secrets, and it is a crime of betraying our country, he added.

When elected officials use their office for monetary gain, or have switched from protecting the people’s interest to looking out for their own personal interest, then that is treason, Sullivan said.

That is true whether it is in the form of taking bribes or receiving campaign contributions to vote in favor of some special interest, he said.

Such action goes against the reason they were elected and is contrary to “we the people,” Sullivan explained.

“It is treason because it undermines our nation and undermines the trust that we place in elected officials — our employees,” he said.

Over the past few years some groups have used tactics to get non-citizens to vote; there have been arguments over showing ID to vote; there even have been dead people voting, Sullivan said.

To advocate non-citizens to vote is contrary to the Constitution, he said.

The Nov. 5 North Carolina state ballot included a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow only citizens to vote, he said.

Sullivan questioned why such an amendment was needed. Again the answer is that people do not know the U.S. Constitution, he explained.

He cited the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution that address that voting issue.

“So why was that amendment on the ballot in North Carolina?” he asked. “It’s got me confused. Other than ignorance of the Constitution, that it was already there, or maybe the definition of citizen has been polluted to the point that we need to readdress it.

“I am not sure of the answer, but that new law in North Carolina is redundant to the Constitution.”

Sullivan questioned why people are ignorant of the Constitution.

He suggested that it was because the teaching of civics and government, American principles and exceptionalism — history as history – has become old school and is not taught as much as it once was.

There probably are special interest groups that have a non sensible reason that serves their selfish purpose for it, he added.

“But at its root, it’s treason,” he said. “It is undermining the country.”

Sullivan said the Constitution is available in many forms, and he encouraged people to read it.

“As a nation, the things that we let slide, the things we choose poorly on and the things we allow contrary to the Constitution — those choices will be the legacy for your children and grandchildren,” he said. “Veterans, citizens, Americans — learn our Constitution so that we can continue to be a watchdog for our way of life and not depend on others.

“Veterans thank you for your service, and I am thankful for your defense of the most unique system of government in the history of the world. But learn your Constitution.”

In his opening remarks Sullivan joked that appearing as speaker was an opportunity to attempt to squeeze into his uniform after 10 years of retirement to see if it still fit.

“I’d rather the Smiths just keep on singing,” Sullivan said referring to Chad Smith and his daughter Makayla Smith of Fore Christ Church who provided the music for the program.

“That last song on ‘God Bless the USA’, I believe it was 1988 or 1989, I was a first lieutenant,” he continued. “We were in Germany, and we had this formal dining in and then they take the colors away. When the color guard came through the door, the first step, a staff sergeant started singing that song acapella.

“They did the color guard thing, and he did the last note as the last man hit the doorway. It takes me back 30-some years.”

Sullivan said that before making his comments that he wanted to thank the Faison Boy and Cub Scouts for presenting the colors.

“One hundred years ago in 1924, Herbert Hoover, who was later on president, he was secretary of commerce for Calvin Coolidge, he delivered the first Armistice Day speech at the American Legion,” Sullivan said. “That was two years before Congress even declared Nov. 11 as Armistice Day. It was called Armistice Day then.

“Seventy years ago President Eisenhower enacted a law to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all those who served the nation.”

Up until 1954, Armistice Day had really only been intended for WWI veterans, he explained.

In 1955 Eisenhower asked Hoover to give the first Veterans Day speech. That speech was delivered at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

American Legion Post 103 Chaplain Bobby Kornegay gave the invocation and benediction for the ceremony.

“We look upon this ceremony and what it stands for God — it’s a veterans celebration for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those whose life has been changed through giving duty to the nation God,” Kornegay said in the invocation.

Benson and American Legion Post 103 Commander Bill Manuel performed the wreath-laying ceremony.

VFW Post 9959 members Mike Saviak and Ray Harrell lowered the U.S. flag to half staff and Shelton Moore played taps.

The Faison Boy Scout Troop 42 and Pack 42 Color Guard presented and retired the colors.

Benson led the pledge of allegiance.

Refreshments were served following the ceremony that lasted about 45 minutes.

Following the ceremony several people searched for the names of friends and loved one inscribed on the memorial.