This was so much more than just another day, where the Cross Creek-Briarwood Garden Club came to honor and remember our men and women who proudly have worn a nation’s military uniforms in pursuit and preservation of our freedom.
You saw it in the faces of veterans, and in the faces of their families.
“You are here because you are a veteran or you know a veteran,” the Rev. Blake Benge said before emotionally pausing in his prayer while remembering his father’s birth on Nov. 11, 1929, and the late Dwight Benge’s U.S. Navy service and the letters written to a young wife. “We thank you for the flag and our veterans. For the men and women who served, Lord, we thank you.”
A daughter would see in her mind’s eye a late father’s service on Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. An 85-year-old veteran would remember his time in Vietnam.
“Today, we recognize nearly 125 years of men and women who honorably served in the Armed Forces of the United States,” Ann Provencher, 56, said at the Blue Star Memorial Veterans Day ceremony for a standing-room-only attendance inside the visitor’s center at North Carolina Veterans Park in downtown Fayetteville. “From World War I to Afghanistan, more than 40 million veterans served our country during a time of war, crisis or conflict, of which almost 16 million veterans were forward deployed in active combat zones, and there are countless peacetime veterans.
“The sum of their individual contributions to our nation are unfathomable and impossible to measure. So, let’s keep it simple. It was veterans who persevered to answer the call to duty. It was veterans who defended our nation. It was veterans who preserved our freedom and way of life.
“I am honored to stand with you on this November 11, 2025, to acknowledge those who said ‘Yes’ when called upon, who put their lives on hold in pursuit of something greater than themselves and who mustered the courage and strength to faithfully serve our country.”
Something personal
Provencher wanted everyone to know these were not just idle words of a guest speaker called upon to speak and send us on our Veterans Day way.
“This is personal to me,” said Provencher, who served in the U.S. Army Reserves and the National Guard from 1987-1992, where she worked as a medical operating room technician in Hawaii. “I am a veteran, the spouse of a veteran, and a proud mother of two veterans. As a result, I am also a philanthropist and active supporter of veterans’ needs.”
You will find Provencher volunteering with organizations to include the Cumberland County Veterans Council, which assists veterans with services and resources they need; the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, both of which lobby for legislative support for veterans; Wreaths Across America, which places wreath on the graves of fallen veterans; and Rolling Thunder NC1, which continues its relentless search, Provencher says, for 81,000 Prisoners of War and Missing in Action military men and women.
“I challenge each of you to do more than acknowledge veterans,” Provencher said, “but to get involved in some way and help a veteran in need.”
Looking into the audience, Provencher took pause.
“Everyone, look around you!” she beckoned. “Look left! Look right! Look in front of you and behind you! These are the heroes we honor today. But we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the families of those who served. Their sacrifices are too often overlooked.”
Provencher said our military veterans are known for their humility.
“No one here asked to be recognized,” she said. “No one here asked for an applause. No one asked for anyone’s thanks. Neither did they ask for this ceremony nor the ones like it all across America.
“But here we are.
“Veterans, we owe you a debt that cannot be fully repaid,” Provencher said. “Therefore, in the highest traditions of the land, we pay our respects to you and the generations of those who precede you. In doing so, we express our sincere thanks, our profound gratitude and our undying respect. Thank you for your service to our country. Your bravery, sacrifice and strength do not go unnoticed, and we will always be indebted to you and your family for all that you have given to America. May God bless each of you, and may God bless America.”
Epilogue
Garden Club President Penny Maxwell and Provencher later joined with Cumberland Board of County Commissioners Chair Kirk deViere in placing a wreath by the Blue Star Memorial Highway marker, which the club relocated on March 22, 2005, at nearby Freedom Memorial Park.
Should you find yourself driving by the marker in the days ahead, consider a toot of the horn, if you will, as a thank you to our veterans would be a welcome salute.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
We’re nearing our fourth year of CityView Today, and so many of you have been with us from day one in our efforts to bring the news of the city, county, community and Cape Fear region each day. We’re here with a purpose — to deliver the news that matters to you.