Community gathers to honor Soldiers of the past, present, future

By Capt. Peter Smedberg (10th Mountain)November 13, 2014

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FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- World War I -- the war to end all wars -- officially came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919; however, the unofficial end to hostilities came when an armistice went into effect between the Germans and Allied nations on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, seven months earlier. For this reason, we pause to honor our nation's veterans on Nov. 11 each year.

Sixty years after President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a proclamation officially declaring Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, Soldiers from across the 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum gathered at Memorial Park on Thursday to honor our nation's veterans of the past, present and future.

The ceremony was highlighted by a wreath laying at the Military Mountaineers Monument as well as remarks from Col. Michael C. McCurry, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade commander and guest speaker.

When the cannons fell silent marking the end of the "great war," many believed we had fought the war to end all wars, but history proved again and again that we still needed our Soldiers.

"In our own division, we remember Castel D'Aiano, where Pfc. John Magrath earned the Medal of Honor, (as well as) Mount Belvedere, Mogadishu, Tikrit, Kun-ar and Nuristan," McCurry said. "Just as their predecessors had, this new generation of volunteers stood up against oppression, and as a result, provided democratic opportunity in the Middle East and central Asia."

McCurry went on to recognize the sacrifices of Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti and Capt. William D. Swenson, two 10th Mountain Division Soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in Afghanistan.

Monti, a fire support specialist was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Bri-gade Combat Team, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 21, 2006, in Gowardesh Village, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.

After a member of Monti's 16-man patrol was critically wounded shortly after being attacked by roughly 60 insurgents, a fellow noncommissioned officer made a radio call to inform the rest of the patrol that a Soldier was hit and that he was going to retrieve him. Monti replied, "That's my guy; I am going to get him."

Monti braved the intense enemy fire during two unsuccessful rescue attempts only to be fatally wounded during his third attempt to bring the wounded American Soldier to cover.

It is the actions and commitment to service of men and wo-men like Monti that we recognize on Veteran's Day.

During the ceremony, retired Col. Michael T. Plummer, president of the Fort Drum Chapter of the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division, also spoke to shed light on who our veterans really are.

"She is the nurse who fought to save life and limb. He is the boy next door who went away to Af-ghanistan and came back another person -- or who didn't come back at all. … They are represented by the three anonymous heroes in the tomb of the unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery," Plummer said.

The nation's veterans come in many different shades, and they continue to evolve during each generation. What has remained constant is the bond that unites the men and women who don the uniform.

"The uniform has changed many times over the last 239 years," McCurry said. "What has not changed has been the determination, spiritual strength and resilience of the men and women willing to serve this nation."