TRAVERSE CITY -- Jim Wibby is a military veteran, but he isn't a hero.
At least, that's what he tells himself.
He was 18 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II, barely an adult when he served in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He shrugs off any notion that he was doing something special.
It was a job, plain and simple.
"I think most of the general public would disagree with that," said Wibby, who now serves as president of the local Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge chapter.
That's why he had mixed emotions Monday during the inaugural National Cherry Festival Heroes' Day. He certainly appreciated the recognition, but why would anyone go to all the trouble?
"Most of us don't consider we're heroes at all," Wibby said. "Why have a day to honor something we don't recognize ourselves?"
For exactly that reason, said Tim Hinkley, the festival's executive director.
The sheer number of veterans in the region -- more than 20,000, according to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post -- spurred the event months ago after Hinkley began to realize the depth of military service across the community.
It also is an attempt to infuse new life into Monday, one of the festival's traditionally slower days, which falls on the heels of a busy opening weekend.
"It's so easy to just go up and shake their hand," Hinkley said. "This is something we'd like to try again."
Military veterans, law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics and other rescue personnel received medallions during this year's Heroes Day, good for discounts on Cherry Festival fare and at some downtown businesses.
It's a nice gesture, especially since Traverse City has no Fourth of July parade, said Doug Jordan, quartermaster of the local VFW Post 2780.
The organization planned to use the day to recruit new members for its chapter and raise money to send care packages to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Even if they don't support the war, they should support the troops," Jordan said. "I think that's the bottom line, and believe me, the troops know."
Ashley Montgomery, a senior at Traverse City College Preparatory Academy, stood at a booth near the Open Space entrance to encourage people to write letters to soldiers overseas.
She initially planned to ask friends for their help, but now has a goal of receiving 500 letters from the community. She'd tallied 106 as of 2 p.m. Monday.
"The guys over there really need it," said Ashley, 17. "(They) really just like something they can hold onto, not just something on the screen. It's something from home."
Numerous rescue vehicles were on display at the Open Space, including fire department ladder trucks.
Heather Bahlau, a state police trooper at the Traverse City post, said having an event like Heroes Day makes it more comfortable for people, especially children, to approach police officers.
"The kids have been in and out of my car all day," she said. "It's been fantastic."
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