Solemn words transported those paying tribute to soldiers on Veterans Day back in time to the holders of the first names on the wall of remembrance which honors Mower County veterans.

Friday, November 12, 1999

Solemn words transported those paying tribute to soldiers on Veterans Day back in time to the holders of the first names on the wall of remembrance which honors Mower County veterans.

"Let us reflect on those words of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, as he reflected upon the battlefield at Gettysburg, a reflection that challenges us all," invited Austin Mayor Bonnie Rietz at Thursday’s Veterans Day ceremony.

One of the largest crowds in recent memory attended the mid-morning ceremonies at the Mower County Veterans Memorial on the government center lawn in downtown Austin.

Led by Austin American Legion Post No. 91 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1216, as well as Disabled American Veterans Post No. 27 and women’s veterans organizations, the ceremonies also featured Mayor Rietz.

Quoting Lincoln, Rietz repeated words uttered more than 137 years ago, during the Civil War: "That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Veterans in sailor hats as well as covers of their own veterans organizations huddled in the cold Thursday morning to honor all the "honored dead," as Lincoln called the first casualties of war listed on the wall of the Mower County Veterans Memorial.

After a flag-raising ceremony and dedication of a wreath to all veterans, Rietz addressed the crowd, taking them letter by letter through a history lesson and sharing Lincoln’s thoughts with them.

"V is for valor," said Rietz. "Today, we honor all veterans whose valor, courage and patriotism we salute."

"E is for every,’ she continued, "Every American needs to stop and to spend a few minutes today remembering those veterans who have sacrificed for our freedom."

Then, the mayor continued her history lesson, spelling "veteran."

"T" is for the tomb of the unknown soldier. "Today, there is also a special service being held in Arlington National Cemetery at the tomb of the unknown soldier," she said.

"E" is for the eleventh day of November, 1999, the date President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed to be a time to remember the end of the fighting in World War I.

"R" is for Remembrance Day, a Canadian holiday also occurring on Nov. 11 that also honors veterans who gave their lives in wars.

"A" is for Armistice Day, the name originally given the Nov. 11 holiday, when it was declared a federal holiday in 1938, according to Rietz.

"N", she concluded, is for Nov. 11, 1954, when Armistice Day was officially changed to Veterans Day.

The mayor told the crowd. "V-e-t-e-r-a-n – a fine word with the individual letters giving a history and special meaning to that word."

The ceremonies concluded with a 21-gun salute to all veterans by Color Guards of both the American Legion and VFW, plus the playing of "Taps" by Todd Krupicka, a 15-year-old Austin High School sophomore.