Armonk American Legion Post Commemorates Veterans Day
By Janine Bowen
Civilians and veterans gathered Monday at American Legion Post 1097 in Armonk to commemorate Veterans Day.
The ceremony celebrating the men and women who have served the nation began with the marching of the Civil Air Patrol Color Guard followed by a prayer led by Rev. Geoffrey Gallons for both retired veterans and those on active duty.
As part of a Veterans Day tradition, the prayer was followed by a flag ceremony, in which the old and worn flag flying above the American Legion Hall was replaced with a new one. The new flag had special significance this year, as it was sent to Afghanistan by members of Boy Scout Troop 94 in Armonk and flown in Wardak Province during Operation Freedom.
The old flag was then taken by Troop 94 where it was honorably retired in a patriotic flag burning ceremony. That practice is intended to take old and tattered flags that are no longer fit to be flown and dispose them with dignity.
Civilians were asked to join in during the Pledge of Allegiance before each stripe was cut off of the flag and placed into the flames. Afterwards, civilians and veterans alike were invited to help retire other old flags, which had been donated by local families, in memory of friends and family members who saw combat.
Troop 94, which has periodically participated in the flag burning ceremony for the last few years, also has a new and special connection to the American Legion Hall. One of its members, Anthony Gizzithem, a Byram Hills High School student who is currently working on becoming an Eagle Scout, repaved the 30-year-old front walkway of the hall for his service project. He explained that he chose the project because he thought it would be a nice way to honor the older veterans who gave so much to the country.
“A lot of the men at the Legion are World War II or Vietnam veterans [who are] old. They were walking on something old and cracked and it wasn’t safe,” he said. “I thought it would be a good idea to make it safe for them.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
