Claire Kornberg

Every year on Nov. 11, the Belmont Community gathers around the Eric Reed Memorial Bench to honor the living veterans who have served our country. The bench, created in 2017, was Eric Reed’s brainchild, and he was able to give the veterans of Belmont a place to be honored every year. “It took a couple of years, but we all came together and worked to make it happen,” said former Belmont Mayor Charles Stone.

The community of Belmont came together to honor the living heroes who served and protected our country with an esteemed guest speaker, a commemorative poem, and a song.

On Nov. 11, the City of Belmont held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at Twin Pines Park. Traditionally held at the Eric Reed Memorial Bench, the ceremony was moved inside due to the morning rain. A path lined with red, white, and blue balloons helped attendees find their way to the alternate venue, where faux poppy flowers and the Color Guard greeted them.

“It is important to celebrate Veterans Day because of the incredible sacrifice veterans and their families have given to our country. The very least we can do is acknowledge them with a ceremony and some words once a year,” said Jozi Plut, the Belmont City Clerk.

Veterans Day, originally Armistice Day, was created in 1919 by Woodrow Wilson after the end of World War I to honor those who served in the war. Since then, the holiday has undergone several changes, including those to its name and date; however, its original purpose of appreciating and honoring veterans has remained.

“Veterans Day is not about politics, but sacrifice and humility. I mean, these people put it on the line, and being here is all you can really do,” said Tom McCord, an attendee at the ceremony.

Despite the holiday’s long history, Belmont’s ceremony is still relatively new, only becoming a tradition after former Belmont Mayor Eric Reed created the memorial bench in 2017. He was inspired to create a space for veterans after visiting a traveling Vietnam Wall ceremony.

“Eric met a woman from Belmont whose son had died in the Vietnam War, and it got him thinking that we really didn’t have a noticeable place to gather on Veterans Day or something acknowledging the sacrifices that veterans had made. So, he made it his personal mission to ensure that Belmont had something we could be proud of,” said former Belmont Mayor Charles Stone.

Reed passed from cancer shortly after the finalization of the bench, but he left the community a place to honor and support veterans every year.

Meeting inside the Twins Pines Lodge, the event began with a flag ceremony by the Belmont Police Department Honor Guard, followed by the entrance of a local Scouting of America troop acting as the Color Guard.

“We are here to support the veterans and show them respect, thanks, and gratitude for their services,” said Troop 301 Assistant Scoutmaster Natalie Carbone.

Shortly after the flag ceremony, guest speaker Dante Ceccotti, an Air Force veteran who served during the Vietnam War, was welcomed to the stage, where he shared his experiences in the Air Force and his struggle with public acceptance after the war.

During the war, the public heavily opposed U.S. intervention in Vietnam, which created challenges for Ceccotti, who was proud of his service but often overlooked by the public’s strong feelings about the U.S. involvement in the war. Over time, Ceccotti learned to be proud of his service to his country.

“Being a veteran develops a sense of pride, pride in yourself, and pride in your country. Serving in the military and becoming a veteran teaches you a lot about yourself. It’s just a great day to be proud of the country and the service that people have done,” Ceccotti said.

Cecotti’s pride was expressed in his speech and encapsulated in the poem “Remembrance,” written by Belmont Poet Laureate Monica Korde, who focused on using nature imagery to share the stories and experiences of veterans.

“All the sonnets I have written have nature imagery at the center because nature teaches us so many things, and the resilience, the strength, the love for the nation that the veterans hold in their hearts, you can find that in nature,” Korde said.

After her poem, musician Nate Walker performed a song with his guitar to honor the veterans who served and protected our country.

Belmont’s Veterans Day ceremony allowed the community to express gratitude for the unsung heroes who dedicated their lives to serving their country.

“Veterans Day makes people think about the people out there who are doing things for you and protecting you. To me, that’s the importance of Veterans Day,” said James Bohac, a former Air Force engineer and current physics teacher at Carlmont.