Veterans Day ceremony features World War II vet

Speakers at a Veterans Day ceremony in Annandale include (from the left): World War 11 veteran George Merz, Maj. Ziad Fakoury, and Helen Patton. Merz is holding Gen. Patton’s riding crop.

About three dozen members of American Legion Bicentennial Post 1976 gathered at the Annandale cannon Monday to pay tribute to the nation’s veterans on Nov. 11.

An honored guest – George Merz, age 94, who served in the military police during D-Day in World War II – took part in the Veterans Day ceremony, along with veterans who served in the Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gretchen Trujillo, commander of Post 1976 speaks at a Veterans Day ceremony at the Annandale cannon.

Merz told the crowd he’s looking forward to a trip to Belgium in December for a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Siege of Bastogne.

Merz recalled an encounter with Gen. George Patton during the war: The famed general asked Merz where he could find the 101st Airborne. “I started to give him directions, when Patton interrupted, saying ‘don’t tell me. Tell my driver,’ I was a private first class trying to give directions to a general.”

The general’s granddaughter, Helen Patton, who lives in France, spoke at the ceremony about how meaningful it is for veterans to revisit their old battle sites.

When she meets people in Europe, she takes issue when they say “we’ll never forget,” Patton said. “I ask how can you say that? You weren’t there. What they remember is their parents’ joy at being liberated.”

Marine Maj. Ziad Fakoury spoke about the sacrifices made by service members: “We are deployed to very dangerous places where we do God’s work in places where people don’t appreciate our presence.”

Veterans today must deal with “a sense of loss as their brothers and sisters in arms go out there and make the ultimate sacrifice,” Fakoury said. “No matter how much time passes by, we’ll always remember them.”

He also spoke about the need to care for veterans who are psychologically damaged, as well as those who suffered physical injuries on the battlefield, as he noted an average of 18 veterans take their own lives every day.

As a veteran who was born overseas and a naturalized citizen who has lived abroad, Fakoury said, “Trust me: the grass is greener in America.” Noting that the nation faces many enemies intent on destroying us, he said, “it’s important to instill the love of country in the younger generation.”