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Remembering veterans of generations past

ROCHELLE

Members of the Gainesville community spent Sunday remembering veterans at the Evergreen Cemetery.

The event honored Veterans Day by remembering the history behind the country's wars and sharing letters from veterans to their families. The day began with a presentation of the American flag, and the crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Vietnam veteran Robert Campbell said that he believes people should pay attention to history, so history doesn't repeat itself.

"We can learn from history so we don't fall back on thing we've fallen back on before," he said.

Campbell is the Post 16 commander for American Legion, an organization that helps veterans.

Campbell said he wasn't welcomed home cordially when he returned from Vietnam, and he is working with American Legion to make sure no other soliders are treated that way.

"We got called many names, and we were looked down upon," he said.

Local historian and anthropologist Jimmy Brown said his speech ended up teaching the veterans in the crowd information that they didn't know about the wars they were involved with.

"I want the enthusiasm for history to be contagious," he said.

Mina Radman wrote this story for online.

Rochelle is a reporter for WUFT News who may be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org
Forrest is a radio news manager for WUFT News. Reach him by emailing news@wuft.org or calling 352-392-6397.