TRAVERSE CITY -- U.S. Army Sgt. Jack Pickard recalls the animosity he perceived when he stepped back onto U.S. soil after his tour of duty during the Vietnam War.
But back home in Traverse City, residents made returning veterans feel "fully welcome," Pickard said.
Almost 38 years later, that sense hasn't changed.
"In this community our vets are very well-honored by our public," Pickard said. "And I am so proud of the support our community has shown to our younger vets who are serving. It just fills me up with pride."
Community members are expected to turn out Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for Traverse City's Veterans Day ceremony along the shore of West Bay.
The annual event in Veteran's Memorial Park on Grandview Parkway at Division Street includes a color guard, playing of Taps, music, and an address from Jonathan Spaner, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City.
A reception hosted by the Elks Lodge on Bay Street follows, where the Grand Traverse Area Veteran's Coalition will announce the veteran and veteran supporter of the year.
"We're basically looking at community service and service to their veterans' organization, and we have enough candidates that it's sometimes very difficult to pick," said Joe Lada, a U.S. Navy and Korean war veteran. Lada serves on the committee of prior-year award winners who picked this year's recipients.
Lada and Pickard, another past winner, will have a full day as members of the color guard for Veterans of Foreign Wars Cherryland Post 2780.
They start their day with a ceremony at 8 a.m. at the Maple Grove Cemetery, followed by a visit to the Monroe Center Cemetery. They'll stop for lunch at Rico's Cafe in Grawn, which offers a free buffet meal for all veterans and active military personnel from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
"It's a real good thing they do being such a small business when you consider there's a lot of veterans living here," Lada said.
The color guard will then visit veterans in area nursing homes before ending the day with the main ceremony on the waterfront.
"It really is a special day for me, because we are out more on Veterans Day than any other day and it seems the community honors you more that day, too," Lada said.
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