“The Fabric that Makes our Nation”: Fort Rucker Honors Veterans

Official Statements

• Aviation Center of Excellence, November 9: “FORT RUCKER, Ala. — Fort Rucker hosted a Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 9, honoring the nation’s veterans both past and present.

  Veterans Day is a time to recognize those who answered a call to serve but at Fort Rucker, it is also an opportunity to honor those who continue serving their communities long after their military service has ended.

  Brig. Gen. Kenneth G. Cole, Fort Rucker and AVCOE deputy commanding general, recognized the veterans in attendance and highlighted the impact of their service on the local community and the next generation of Soldiers and Army aviators.

  "Today is unusual among our nation's commemorations because many of the people we came here to honor are sitting among us," Cole said. "Here in the Wiregrass, veterans are our neighbors, our coworkers and our friends."

  Cole noted that Veterans Day differs from other military commemorations, explaining that while Armed Forces Day recognizes those currently serving and Memorial Day honors those who died in service, Veterans Day recognizes all who have served. He also highlighted Alabama's connection to the holiday's history.

  Originally known as Armistice Day, Nov. 11 commemorated the end of fighting between the Allied forces and Germany in World War I in 1918. Following World War II, Birmingham veteran Raymond Weeks, advocated for expanding the observance to honor all American veterans. Weeks brought his idea to then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1946. Birmingham held its first celebration honoring all veterans the following year, and in 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation officially establishing Veterans Day.

  "An Alabama veteran helped the nation widen its circle of gratitude," he said, and mentioned that military service takes many forms beyond the battlefield.

  “So many thoughts of veterans race and weave through my mind thinking of Veterans Day,” Cole said. “Like a tapestry of memories and emotions. Among the brightest threads were the greatness of true heroes, the freedoms we enjoy and the service those veterans gave for those freedoms.”

  “Freedom truly is not free,” Cole said. “So today is our day to thank our veterans, and their families, and their children, and their friends, and their neighbors that supported them.”

  Cole said his closest connection to military service has always been his father, an Army aviator and Vietnam veteran. His parents were both children of veterans, making Cole a child of a veteran and his own children are children of a veteran.

  “Having my mom here in the audience today is special,” Cole said. “My closest veteran was, and has always been, my dad.”

  Cole’s mother, who remembers her own mother referring to Veterans Day as Armistice Day, was married to his father for more than 49 years before his death in 2017, Cole said. His father later served as an instructor pilot at Fort Rucker after returning from Vietnam. Cole, who was born at Fort Rucker, said he still carries his father’s stories with him while serving at the home of Army Aviation.

  “I treasure every single story, and I can hear those stories in his voice today,” Cole said. “I still remember the trust my dad placed in me whenever he shared a story or something about his service in the Army or Army Aviation.”

  Cole said those memories remind him to listen when veterans or their family members decide to share their experiences.

  “Many times, they won’t,” Cole said. “What they share is important. Their memories are literally the fabric that made and makes our nation what it is.”

  At Fort Rucker, veterans continue to influence the Army's future by sharing their experience with young Soldiers and supporting the training mission, while also bringing their leadership skills and commitment to service into the surrounding communities.

  Cole encouraged attendees to take time to connect with the veterans around them, listen to their stories and recognize the sacrifices made by both service members and their families.

  "To our veterans- thank you for answering your country's call and for all you continue to contribute," Cole said. " God bless all of you, and God bless the United States of America."