BUTTE - And they’re off! Dozens of runners participate in Butte’s annual Veteran’s Day race, a fun way to celebrate the hard-fought freedoms that veterans brought this country.
“I would pray that the American people will never forget that freedom is not free. Know that appreciating, remembering and lifting up our veterans, past present, and future is key to keeping America free,” said Butte Marine veteran Mike Lawson.
A larger crowd than in past years gathered at the Butte Civic Center Veteran’s Day morning to pay honor to those who served. This was meaningful to many veterans.
“Helps me get rid of the nightmares that I had in the past and I’m getting over them little by little, but this helps a lot,” said Vietnam veteran James Long.
Butte Sheriff Ed Lester shared a story about his father, a World War II Navy veteran, who suffered in silence for years from the trauma of war.
“It took me 32 years to realize that the man who raised me and was now 74 years old was still haunted by what he’d seen when he was 18 years old. Every single one of those women and men have a story and they’re heroes in my eyes,” said Lester.
Marine veteran Wayne Marshall of Butte said, “I’m 85 years old, almost 86.”
You must be one of the oldest veterans here.
“Civil War veteran they call me,” he laughed.
