This special program has been organized for nearly three decades to honor veterans and to thank them for their service and sacrifice.

“We gather today with grateful hearts to honor the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our great nation,” said Pastor Teresa Fink in the invocation.

The attendees were served a roast beef and turkey dinner as they socialized with fellow veterans.

After the meal, two former members of the United States Marine Corps Color Guard ceremoniously presented the American flag for the pledge of allegiance.

Sentinel photo by LIV SUYDAM Mifflin County Veterans Association President Ed Mann gives a heartfelt speech as the keynote speaker at the Lewistown Rotary Club’s annual ‘Take a Veteran to Lunch’ program Tuesday morning.

This year’s keynote speaker was Ed Mann, president of the Mifflin County Veterans Association, an organization that aids veterans.

Mann joined the United States Air Force in 1977 as a fire protection specialist, a job that took him to various locations. In 1986, Mann moved to Lewistown to work as an Air Force recruiter for eight years before retiring in 1994 with 17 years of service.

In addition to his military service, Mann has lived a life dedicated to public service, working as an executive assistant to Sen. J. Doyle Corman and later Sen. Jake Corman, working as the Pennsylvania state fire commissioner. Mann was also involved with the FAME fire company and ambulance service, the East Derry Fire Company and the Chief Logan Fire Company as well as various other public safety programs.

“Veterans Day is not just a date on the calendar. It’s a living memory, a solemn promise, a tribute to the courage that echoes through generations,” Mann explained.

Growing up in Bellefonte, every Veterans Day, Mann would join his father outside the courthouse steps for a Veterans Day ceremony when time paused and “gratitude filled the streets.”

Mann remembered that even when schools were no longer closed for Veterans Day, his father made sure he never missed the ceremony.

“His handwritten excuse always read: ‘Not in school, attended the Veterans Day ceremony. If you have a problem with that, call me,” Mann shared. “That simple sentence carried the weight of his convictions and taught me that honoring service is not an option- it’s a duty.”

Mann explained that as a veteran who never saw combat, he carries “immense pride and gratitude” for his service and for those who served beside him.”

“My path was different from those who faced the horrors of war, but it was shaped by the same values of integrity, honor, and sacrifice,” Mann explained.

Jeff Pickett, Lewistown Rotary Club president, also shared, “Our veterans come from every walk of life, yet they share a common bond — a commitment to something greater than themselves. They served in times of war and times of peace, on distant shores and here at home, often facing challenges most of us could only imagine.”

Mann closed his heartfelt speech with a call to action, “Let us do more than remember. Let us act. Volunteer for your community, mentor a young person, support a veteran who may be struggling, speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

“Let us turn gratitude into action and honor into service,” Mann added. “May we always remember, may we always be grateful, and may we strive to be worthy of the sacrifices by our veterans and their families.”

Following the speech, Pickett was joined by fellow Rotarians to gift each attending veteran with a tumbler.

The afternoon was complete with three songs by Katie Becker: “What a Wonderful World,” “If I Stand,” and everyone was invited to rise and join in the singing of “God Bless America.”