ROCKLAND — It’s the only job description that specifically states that you might die. How many people think about that, asked Gary Grant, chaplain for American Legion Post 1. But, as Carole Bachofner emphasized through her own poem dedicated to the Veteran’s Day 2025 ceremony at Winslow-Holbrook Park, “not seeking to be heroes, they are.”

Several members of the community joined Rockland’s American Legion and other veterans at the Park for the annual ceremony, which commenced at 11 a.m., on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. During the ceremony, Gaye Best laid a wreath on a stone pillar next to the monument for the first Rockland residents to die in World War I.

“The sun has risen and set, risen and set, on columns and tanks, on battalions and squadrons, on men and women willing to defend and serve,” Bachofner recited.

They shine, like that very sun that gets hot in our day.

Emcee Roger Wadford couldn’t decide between two poems that he’d found, so he recited both. The first is Why do they Fight?

They serve because they love us, they serve because they want a better future for their country. A better future for their world. Serving comes with consequences that they know and are willing to bear. You can’t find a braver person here or anywhere…

The second is Fallen Heroes. Falling heroes, one by one. In the news there’s another one….To all our soldiers across the land, whether on call or in promise land. You’re in our hearts. You’re in our souls. We thank you greatly as the conflicts unfold. Fallen heroes, one by one, but pray to God there’s not another one. Whether they fight for our freedom or whether they are on call, it’s time to thank them, one and all.

Bay Winds North music ensemble performed, under the direction of Marlene Hall, and students from Oceanside Middle School, under the direction of Molly Kaye, accompanied a couple of the songs with vocals. The audience included City Council members, a police officer, and members of the community.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com