Veterans Honored at Bay Pines

Friday's Veterans Day ceremony at Bay Pines started with a parade of colors to remind people of the men and women who have proudly served this nation to support the cause of freedom. U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young talked about the resilience of the troops with more than 1,650,000 veterans calling Florida home. Bay Pines VA, the site of ceremony, is the fourth largest VA system in the country.

Young encouraged veterans to participate in the Veterans History project, which will feature recorded messages from veterans who would like to tell their stories. Other guest speakers included Mike Prendergast, Executive Director for the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs and Kris Brown, Interim Director at Bay Pines.

Students from St. Petersburg's Gibbs High School performed the firing salute. Gulfport's American Legion Post 125 supplied the rifles for the firing salute. Students from  Keswick Christian in Seminole provided special patriotic music.

Veterans Day commemorates the ending of World War I in 1918. The official proclamation of Veterans Day came from President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. Click for more history of Veteran's Day.