Lima organizations honor Veterans Day

News Top Stories Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp LIMA — Veterans Day honors the men and women who have fought to keep our country’s liberties. Lima held several ceremonies Wednesday to pay respects for those in the U.S. military. Veterans honored at Freedom Flag Monument Starting at 11:11 a.m., signifying the end of World War I, a ceremony was held at the Freedom Flag Monument on Buckeye Road. Dedicated in 2010, the monument was made as a safe place for veterans, families and friends of Ohio to visit and give thanks for their service. One of the founders, Greg Gebolys, who died earlier this year, was remembered throughout the service as a bench was dedicated in his name. “Today’s ceremony, we like to celebrate it on 11/11 for the veterans. Today also, we lost one of our good friends, the founder of our foundation, Greg Gebolys, so it was remembering him. Remembering all of our veterans that are out here,” said Britt Munson, chairman of the Freedom Flag Monument. “Come to mention it, Greg was very instrumental in getting this monument built. It means everything, you know, when I was chosen to basically take his place. It’s a ‘What would Greg do?’ You always sit back, and it’s like, before you make any decisions, think of what Greg would do.” Travis Adkins, senior official at the nearby Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, said Wednesday’s event was not just for Gebolys but for all veterans who served and continue to do so. “I think first and foremost, Greg would want us to say that this is to honor all veterans. It’s something, one of the slogans that he always wanted to put up here, so this is to honor all veterans,” Adkins said. “We recognized that this place was a dream of his, and he worked with a lot of folks to make it happen, but Greg was the constant, and he remained until his passing, the chairman of the Veterans Freedom Flag Foundation. No one was more dedicated than him.” Munson shared the reason to build such a monument for the community. “We have benches around, so it allows you to come out, just have a seat, reflect on what the people, even if you don’t know anybody on the wall, just come out and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going today. Even if you’re not on the wall, it’s a nice, safe space, quiet space to come out and think about life in general, where you need to go and where you came from,” Munson said. New improvements are being made near the monument, as the organization develops a food pantry specifically for veterans in need. “We provide, every 30 days, enough grocery items, meat, frozen items, eggs when we have them, bread, things like that in order to help them get over the hump for the next 30 days,” said Denis Glenn, a volunteer with the foundation. “And, the connection to the Veterans Freedom Flag Monument, behind the flag, itself is a great building that was built in 1942 and still exists. So, we are going to split the building in half, making one side a museum and the back half becoming the new home to the veterans food pantry.” Johnny Appleseed Park District leased the land for the monument so Gebolys’ dream could become a reality. When Gebolys met a vet from Vietnam and thanked him for his service, the soldier cried and said how he was never told that before. “Greg said, ‘What can we do to change this?’ We wanted to tell all veterans that we see them and we thank them for their service. So, a couple days later, a gentleman came into our meeting with a piece of cardboard with five little figures sticking up,” Glenn said. Those simple pieces of cardboard turned into the monument that many visit daily. Lima Exchange Club displays flags For the past 20 years, the Lima Exchange Club has put up 100 total flags in front of two assisted living areas to honor veterans who reside in the facilities. This year, they set up flags at Springview Manor and Primrose Assisting Living in Lima. “Exchange Club throughout America has three major focuses, and one of them is Amercanism. We figure there’s no more American thing to do on Veterans Day than honor veterans,” said Mike Mullen, secretary of Lima Exchange Club. Mullen shared how the project started and slowly became a tradition. “About 25 years ago, our club did a project called ‘The Healing Field’ out at Ottawa Metro Park, where we put up close to 1,500 flags over a four-day period. And after that project, we had about 100 flags that were left over, that people didn’t buy or take as mementos. “So, we have a club member, Lou Markowitz, he owns Shawnee Properties. He has been very kind to store our flags, keep them in a dry place, and then on Veterans Day, our club comes out and we choose two assisted living locations in Lima to simply honor our veterans by putting up a large display of American flags outside the facility.” Muller said it was important to honor vets inside assisted living spaces. “It’s just a way to honor the veterans. We know what kind of service they gave our country, and many of them could no longer have their own home, they’re incapacitated in some way, so we just feel it’s nice to come out and honor them,” Muller said. As Veterans Day is celebrated throughout the community, local organizations brought forth their best versions to honor those who served. ON THE WEB To learn more about the Freedom Flag Monument, visit uawfreedomflag.com Reach Sophia Fields at 567-242-0451. Featured Local Savings