Dozens of Athens and Limestone County community members, elected officials and veterans gathered Nov. 2, at the recently completed Alabama Veterans Park to memorialize the lasting sacrifice of those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

“I want to thank all of the commissioners and elected officials of the past who had the forethought to get that location where it is at today,” Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly said. “I think people forget that we wouldn’t have this community without the veterans who fought for our country and rights. As Veterans Day approaches we all need to remember that everyday is Veterans Day. This is just one opportunity for us to give back to those who gave so much for us.”

The park, located in the heart of Athens next to the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives off Pryor Street, hosted the poignant ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially mark the site’s grand opening.

Elected officials such as state senators Tom Butler and Arthur Orr, as well as several other local officals, spoke during the event about the importance of supporting Veterans through their various projects.

“As an old Army veteran who served in Vietnam many, many years ago — it’s absolutely wonderful to see everybody come out here to celebrate the hard work it took to bring this dream to life,” Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks told The News Courier following the ceremony. “This truly is the definition of a ‘we’ project, there’s no ‘I’ in any of this getting off the ground. It took a lot of vision and persistence to get this done, but we did it for the veterans and all the people who are going to visit this beautiful location.”

Before the ceremony started, droves of people were welcomed into the park by members of the Golden Eagles Marching band who played melodious sounds that echoed the importance of the event through all of the attendees.

During the ceremony, the Limestone County Veterans Honor Guard presented the colors before hoisting the American Flag two-stories high for all of Athens to see. Members of the guard also laid a remembrance wreath in front of the seven marble markers that commemorates those that lost their lives throughout the history of the United States wars.

“I think this was a good day, because it’s certainly a joyous time for us to sit, relax and think about those of us that have already gone by,” Jim Watson, longtime member of the Limestone County Veterans Honor Guard, said. “I don’t know why I was expecting not that many people to show up, but we certainly had more than I expected, so I just thank the Lord for this group of people.