On Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, Opelika celebrated American Veterans by hosting the first Freedom Fest Weekend. In past years, Opelika has organized an annual Veterans Day Breakfast and Veterans Day Program. Last year, with the help of Flags for Vets, a non-profit organization that purchases and raises the national flag on a lighted flagpole at the veteran’s house, a Freedom Fest Concert was also held. This year, more additions were made to the tributary festivities with the support of the City of Opelika, Flags for Vets, IS4S and ESPN, establishing a two-day-long tradition to recognize those who have served.
The weekend of commemoration kicked off at 7 p.m. with the Freedom Fest Concert, located on 1st Avenue behind Red Clay Brewing Co.
Gates opened at 6 p.m., with country music performances from opening act the Blane Rudd Band, followed by headliner the Ryan Waters Band starting at 7 p.m.. Besides the music, the event had food trucks, other non-profit vendors tabling and an appearance of the three Medal of Honor recipients featured in a later event that weekend.
When asked what the City of Opelika and the City of Auburn should get out of this event, Robin Smith, communications specialist of the City of Opelika, emphasized the importance of recognizing the hardships and honorable commitment of our veterans.
“We should appreciate and honor those around us that are veterans," Smith said. "We don’t sometimes realize what exactly they went through and the sacrifice they have really made for us and for our lives.”
The next morning, all veterans and their families were invited to a special Veterans Breakfast beginning at 8 a.m.at the First Baptist Church of Opelika, with the Veterans Program open to the public starting at 9 a.m.. Decorated veterans with Korean, Vietnam and other war and military-grade hats, medals and regalia dined with their families and friends at red-and-white striped tables.
American flags were stationed around the room and knitted red poppies were distributed in remembrance of the country’s fallen soldiers. IS4S was also tabling, giving free tickets to veterans for ESPN’s and IS4S’ Salute to Veteran’s Bowl Game. This bowl game is a college football game that annually features a team from the Sun Belt Conference against a team from the Mid-American Conference in Montgomery, Ala, to recognize and thank America’s heroes.
At the presentation organized by the City of Opelika, with representatives from the Opelika Police Department and Fire Department in attendance, viewers were inspired by the speech from Eric Brandenburg, Jr., a retired Air Force Special Operations Senior Non-Commissioned Officer and Operator. The Silver Star recipient and five-time Bronze Star recipient spoke of his war stories of conducting air strikes and other various missions throughout his career in the military. Brandenburg recounted the realities of war — the horror, the thrills, the brotherhood, the highs and the lasting impact – including how his role as a leader in combat was difficult at times.
“Everybody wants to be in a firefight 'til you’re in it,” Brandenburg said.
He also mentioned the challenges of post-deployment life, explaining what the sudden halt of a military career felt like.
“Pushing a fast moving train, and [then] everything comes to an end,,” Brandenburg said.
He told stories of camaraderie, PTSD, lost friends and the toll of the fight; understanding nods and solemn faces filled the crowd. However, Brandenburg talked of the light at the end of the tunnel for veterans, emphasizing the importance of discovering a new reason to live. For him, this included putting up flags for first responders. Lastly, he highlighted how each veteran needed a support system willing to help out, whether that be family, friends or other veterans.
U.S. Navy veteran Thomas Peavy spoke about his experience of attending a Freedom Fest Weekend event for the first time. As a medical corpsman for the Marines who served on active duty in the Vietnam War, and later served as a chaplain in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for 20 years following the events of September 11, 2001, Peavy was “humbled” to be surrounded by fellow countrymen who laid down their lives for freedom.
“When we took our oath in this military, we took an oath to this nation. Even though we didn’t say that in the exact words that we would take another oath, we took an oath to our brother in arms, and that is an oath that goes on in perpetuity," Peavy said. "The brotherhood of any veteran is something that very few people recognize. Only 6% of the people in this nation have been veterans. Only 1% have served in wartime. We are a community of brothers and sisters in arms.”
To bring a bit of light back into the event, the inaugural Veterans Parade stepped off at 10:30 a.m.. from Avenue C and Ninth Street, and proceeded down Ninth Street until South Railroad Avenue. Hosted by the City of Opelika and Flags for Vets, it featured three Medal of Honor recipients who were joined by other veterans of the area with their families, veterans representing various military organizations and service organizations, as well as veterans groups and resource departments.
The streets were lined with people cheering as the country’s heroes and supporters marched alongside parade floats, military vehicles and military equipment.
The weekend concluded with a Medal of Honor Meet & Greet at 12:30 p.m., where people were encouraged to speak with three brave individuals who were nationally recognized for their actions in service. Presented by Flags for Vets and the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, the recipients were Sergeant Robert Martin Patterson, a Vietnam War Army Veteran, Staff Sergeant Melvin Morris, a Vietnam War Army Veteran and Specialist Ty Michael Carter, a War on Terrorism (Afghanistan) Army Veteran.
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