Hundreds attended the16th annual William L. Nixon Veterans Day Tribute on Sunday at Phillipsburg High School. The tribute paid special attention to those who fought in the Korean War.
In honor of the 65th anniversary of the Korean War's start, Phillipsburg Area veterans Sunday paid special attention to those who fought -- and gave the ultimate sacrifice -- during that war in their annual tribute.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has honored the 16th annual William L. Nixon Veterans Day Tribute as a regional site for the observance of the Nov. 11 commemoration.
Hundreds attended the all-day ceremony, which included poetry, words by veterans, a salute to all branches and patriotic music by the Phillipsburg High School Pieces of Eight Ensemble.
There also was a presentation of military awards, a distribution of roses for all who have served and are presently serving, as well as a flag-holding ceremony and singing of "Amazing Grace," by Mark Noyes, a U.S. Navy veteran.
RELATED: Phillipsburg Veterans Day event to pay special tribute to Korean War vets
The Colonial Musketeer Junior Fife and Drum Corps. participated.
The event featured a video conference between Phillipsburg High School guidance counselor Brandon Beahn and folks at the Korean War Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii. An Army Blackhawk helicopter landing also was planned.
For the estimated 15th straight year around Veteran's Day, Phillipsburg granted high school diplomas to any veteran who missed graduation due to military service. This year, Vail Robert Kleedorfer, a U.S. Army veteran, joined some 150 others who the high school previously honored through New Jersey's Operation Recognition.
ABOUT OPERATION RECOGNITION
The New Jersey Departments of Military and Veterans Affairs and Education jointly launched a program on Oct. 5, 2000, to honor World War II-era veterans who left school to join the military and never received their high school diploma. Those eligible in the program must: be a New Jersey resident, have left a high school to serve in the military from Sept. 16, 1940, to Dec. 31, 1946; June 23, 1950, to Jan. 31, 1955; or Dec. 31, 1960, to May 7, 1975; and have been discharged honorably.
For more information about the program, call the NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs 609-530-6854.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.