The sun smiled on Carbon County Monday afternoon as residents, veterans and employees of the county gathered in the Josiah White Park in Jim Thorpe to honor the men and women who served this country.

During the annual Veterans Day program, hosted by the Carbon County Veterans Council, the Carbon County Commissioners addressed the crowd about the importance of remembering those who fought for our freedoms.Henry Desrosiers, director of the Office of Veterans Affairs in Carbon County, welcomed everyone to the event.Desrosiers then spoke about what it means to be a veteran."Veterans Day serves a very important purpose," he said."Because of the dedicated men and women, our veterans reinforce the truth that veteranism is not a gift or a goal but often a moment or sometimes a lifetime of pure selflessness. Our veterans disregard their personal well-being and act with honor to preserve for us as citizens of the USA, a gift of unapproachable magnitude our freedom."We owe a great debt to our veterans, and today we show our gratitude," he said."Veterans Day is always a special day to honor those who served and currently serve in our armed forces," Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said. "Today is a day to take the time to honor those who served. They should be honored every day for their services, dedication and commitment though."Commissioner William O'Gurek quoted President Theodore Roosevelt."The 26th president stated that 'credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,'" O'Gurek said. "I think of those words often and more so on days like today. They remind me so much of the heroic services of our men and women, including those who served in the past, and those who are serving now."He urged everyone to show their appreciation by doing positive things in life."Never stop trying to build a better world like what our veterans have done," O'Gurek said. "God bless each of them for the priceless gift they have bestowed upon us."Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard then followed his colleagues as this year's main speaker."I am the son of a Korean War veteran," Gerhard said. "I learned the importance and the impact that veterans have on our daily lives. The very fact that we wake up each day, get dressed and go on with our day is a result of our veterans. We would never enjoy the freedom we have be it not for them. Thank you for serving and for what you have done for this country."Gerhard concluded his address with a quote by the late President John F. Kennedy."As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them," he said. "Be proud as we are proud of you. God bless our veterans and God bless America."Angela Nardini then sang "God Bless America," and members of the color guard fired a 21-gun salute, while William Diehm of American Legion Post 304 played taps on the bugle.Other veterans organizations in attendance included American Legions from Jim Thorpe and Palmerton and the Vietnam Veterans of Carbon County. Gil Henry, American Legion Post 304 chaplain, also provided the invocation and benediction.