Yokota celebrates Veterans Day with two ceremonies

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Eric Summers
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  The base honored U.S. veterans Nov.11 with two ceremonies, one sponsored by the Yokota chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the other by American Legion Post 2222.

"Veterans day is a national holiday where the base and nation takes time to commemorate the 3.5-million veterans and to honor their service and sacrifice," said Col. Jeff Newell, 374th Airlift Wing commander, who attended the VFW event. "We are proud as part of the Yokota base community to take part in this recognition ceremony."

During both ceremonies, people also paid their respect to prisoners of war and those missing in action.

"My comrades and many others are here to honor those who gave their lives for the sacrifice of this great nation," said Mr. John Pierce, Yokota's American Legion commander.

Local Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps members, Boy Scouts and members of other base organizations also attended the event.

"One of the parts of living and working on Yokota is that we act as a small town community where we have small-town types of civic and fraternal organizations on the base that really take the time to put together a ceremony like this," Colonel Newell said.

"These organizations gather the base population to honor our veterans and is really a special part of Yokota, which makes it special for me to be here as commander of the 374th AW," Colonel Newell said.