Cemetery ceremony honors present and past patriots for Independence Day

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Veterans stand proud for the red, white and blue.

They are honoring those who fought for our freedom at the annual Independence Day Program in the Wilmington National Cemetery.

“You can go to third world countries and you won’t see what you see here.” New Hanover County Veterans Council Chairman, Frank Roberts, said. He continued, saying,”We’re able to have family members, we’re able to enjoy them, we’re able to keep together. We have barbecues together and we’re able to have nice times together.”

He believes this day serves as a reminder to the sacrifices made.

“July fourth is here for a reason and it’s not just to go to the beaches, onto the boats and drinking beers. It’s more about remembering your four-fathers who shed all their blood and remember our troops, our marines, our sailors. They’re serving the country to keep us free,” Roberts said.

The ceremony, put on by the New Hanover County Veterans Council, also had special guest speaker. Aron Lanie, from Team Red, White & Blue, helped deliver a message about Independence Day.

“This ceremony at the National Cemetery is significant because the price of freedom is sacrifice,” Lanie said.

She wants to remind the public of one thing.

“Take a moment and appreciate the freedom that we have and appreciate the community that we have,” Lanie said. She continued, saying, “I feel like right now, it sometimes feels like there’s a lot of division but we are apart of this, together.”

The ceremony gave thanks to some veterans that came to the event, including two men awarded the purple heart.