Big crowd on hand to thank veterans
Published 3:34 pm Friday, November 11, 2016
The Clanton Middle School choir helped provide the music during the event. (Photos by Anthony Richards)
Chilton County celebrated Veterans Day on Friday with its annual program, which was held at Senior Connection for the first time.
In past years the ceremony took place at the courthouse, but was able to support a much larger crowd at the new location.
“I thought it went great,” said Jerry Grooms, veteran and Commander of American Legion Post 6 in Clanton. “This location has plenty of parking and plenty of room. They [Senior Connection] came to us and we appreciate it.”
The guest speaker for the event was Nick Burnett, who served as a marine and was deployed twice to Iraq in 2007 and 2009.
Burnett took the audience into his life and some of the experiences that he was a part of while in the military.
Brannon Burnett sings for those in attendance during a Veterans Day event at Senior Connection.
According to Burnett, his grandfather was a veteran and he saw the respect that people gave him. He knew that he wanted to gain that respect and help people in the process.
“Drill instructors don’t put up with a lot of excuses, and I’ve tried to carry that over into civilian life,” Burnett said. “It made me the man I am today.”
He urged the crowd to be thankful for the life they have and to cherish the country that they call home, which is something that he learned not to take for granted during his tours to the Middle East.
“It provided me with an understanding that the world is not always a nice place,” Burnett said. “Those are things that will never leave my mind.”
After his time in the military, Burnett joined the Jemison Reserve Police Department, as Chief Shane Fulmer gave him the “opportunity of a lifetime.”
He currently lives in Clanton and serves with Calera Police Department as a member of the SWAT team.
The Clanton Middle School choir and Brannon Burnett sang patriotic music that helped sum up the true meaning of the holiday.
The county program marks the official end of a busy week of events that took place throughout the school system honoring those who served in the military.
“You’re seeing more and more programs and I think people are realizing where the freedom that they have comes from,” Grooms said.
