Many veterans and supporters gathered around the Pettis County Courthouse for the Veterans Day Ceremony today (Nov. 11). The ceremony is traditionally done on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month nationwide. This was originally Armistice Day and is now known as Veterans Day.

Veteran Charlie Gutherie was one of the guest speakers at the ceremony and his message was about standing up for the rights that we have.

"I think we need to continue to stand up for what rights that we have and that we should always remember that we are one nation under God," Gutherie said. "Even though people may differ from us, everyone is entitled to their opinion. We should respect that opinion, but in turn, our opinion needs to be respected also."

The second speaker was Vietnam Vet Gregory Davis who said that he wants to see veterans stick together and remember the oath they took when they joined the service.

"I said I would defend against all enemies of the United States and for it's Constitution, whether those enemies are foreign or domestic," Davis said. "You guys did the same thing. The thing of it was that I find that I was never properly relieved of that oath. I live by that oath until the day I die. The same as you. We need to live by that oath and remember that we took it and it met big things for us back then, but it also stands for us today."

Tony Gallagher of the 40 & 8 was humbled by the show of support of veterans and appreciates the support Sedalia gives to its veterans, including the way schools invite them to talk about their experiences, the ceremony and the way programs like JROTC operates.

The Smith-Cotton Choir and JROTC were there to help sing the National Anthem and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. A lunch was held after the ceremony at the Sedalia VFW.

Enjoy these photos of the ceremony taken by Kevin Walker.

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