Valor and tradition; Respecting Cibola’s brave

GRANTS, N.M. – The annual Veteran’s Day celebration at Veteran’s Park in Grants, N.M. saw veterans from across Cibola County come to honor and support each other, along with numerous civilians who wanted to thank their county’s soldiers for the sacrifices they made to preserve America’s freedom.

November 11 of every year is Veteran’s Day, at 11:11 a.m., annually, the City of Grants celebrates its veterans with a small ceremony at the Vietnam Veteran Memorial at Veteran’s Park. Veterans were escorted to Fire and Ice Park where the City of Grants, Grants MainStreet Project Inc., and Homestake Mining Company teamed up to serve veterans hotdogs and hot chocolate for their service.

The short service included speeches from local leaders like NM State Representative Harry Garcia, City of Grants Mayor Martin “Modey” Hicks, Village of Milan Mayor Felix Gonzales, Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace, and Grants City Councilor Fred Rodarte, all of whom are veterans. Speeches were made from civilian elected officials like Cibola County Commissioner Robert Windhorst, and City of Grants Councilor Erik Garcia.

The service begins at 11:11 a.m. as a way to honor not only living veterans, but the history and valor behind the occasion as well. World War I was brought to an end thanks to the brave soldiers who risked everything in the name of freedom, the war ended on November 11, 1918 at 11:11 a.m. US time. The day was long known as Armistice Day, this was changed by an act of congress in 1954 to Veteran’s Day.

The Cibola Citizen salutes and thanks all of our county’s veterans for their sacrifice. Freedom isn’t free, thank you all for your service, thank you for keeping us free.