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"It hurts": Veterans speak out on dwindling ranks

Athens honored its service members with a parade through downtown, and some veterans said they're remembering old friends.

ATHENS, Ala. — With over 30 cars in tow and the full Athens High School marching band, the city's Veterans Day parade began on Nov. 11 at Athens High School and went all the way to the Athens-Limestone County Public Library downtown. Horses, fire trucks, hot rods, tractors, wagons and towing trucks all made it out for the celebration.

A local businessman in Athens, Grant Gilbert drives a vintage Jeep car every year in the parade.

"We brought our antique 1951 restored Army Jeep up here to honor our veterans and a veteran friend of mine," Gilbert said. The friend in question was John Jeffreys, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the military police. Members of the same church, Gilbert drove Jeffreys in the antique vehicle during this year's parade.

Jeffreys said for him, the important part of Veterans Day is about spending time with the friends he has left.

"It takes a lot more than blood to make a family," Jeffreys said. "And these people that I served all the years with, all my brothers and sisters, they're probably closer than anyone I have."

He said as the years pass, it becomes more and more important to remember those who served, both young and old. For many veterans, the holiday is about remembering those who didn't make it to the celebration.

Jeffreys said, "It hurts. I lost a brother this past week, and it really hurts because you don't know who's going to be here and who's not going to be here next year."

Like Jeffreys, U.S. Army veteran Tino Cervantes said he's remembering his friends on Veterans Day:

"The guys that did not return," Cervantes said. "And, unfortunately, the high numbers of [killed-in-action]'s and wounded in the Vietnam was too extreme." But Cervantes added that any loss of life is too extreme. He said in general, war just needs to end.

Cervantes said, "It's a lost life. And it doesn't just mean the wife and immediate family. You're talking about siblings. You're talking about family that extends all the way until relatives, and you're also talking about friends." For the veterans in Athens this year, many of them said it's all about honoring their friends.

If you're ever in the Athens area and would like to learn a bit more about the history of our local veterans, visit the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives. It's open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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