Cotten calls on community to remember veterans’ sacrifices every day of the year
The Daily Mail
May 18, 2009, online

CATSKILL-Dozens of veterans and family members of fallen soldiers gathered at the Cementon Sportman’s Club Sunday to honor those who lost their lives serving overseas.

County Legislator Forest Cotten, D-Catskill, addressed the audience, reminding them that Memorial Day and Veterans Day occur 365 days a year. He also called for children to learn respect and understanding for soldiers in schools.

“Every day another soldier may die in the line of duty and every day another one comes home to his or her family for the first time after many months,” Cotten said.

He explained that although he did not serve in the military, several members of his immediate and extended families have, some of them completing several tours of duty, which helped him to understand the sacrifices made by every soldier.

Cotten said when he was a student, his school’s curriculum included the opportunity for classroom discussions of Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

His daughters, who attend school in Catskill, have no similar in-class dialogues, Cotton pointed out.

He said that although younger children might not understand the full extent of such a sacrifice, they have the capacity to learn that those sacrifices have made the country great.

“What we really need to do is get back to educating our children within the schools so that they understand the value of the sacrifices that you have made,” he said, speaking directly to the 14 veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam in attendance.

After Cotten’s speech, the assembly sang a number of patriotic songs including “Grand Old Flag,” “America, The Beautiful” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” as well as the newer “God Bless the U.S.A.”

Veterans were invited to stand and be recognized during the singing of the anthems of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force.

Joan Young, the secretary/treasurer of the war memorial committee, who served as the master of ceremonies, invited the guests to stay for lunch and to discuss school issues with Cotten’s wife Beverly, who is running for a seat on the Catskill Central School District’s Board of Education.

The annual event, organized by Frank Mucich, also featured prayers led by Louis Honecker, chaplain of the Saugerties Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5034.