The face of veterans may be changing, but the sentiment remains the same on Veterans Day

The face of veterans may be changing, but the sentiment remains the same on Veterans Day

November 11th, 2023

BROWN COUNTY (WLUK) — The United State Marine Corps is celebrating its 248th birthday, followed by Veterans Day. Restaurants, businesses, organizations and schools are finding ways to honor those who’ve served.

With more than 40 veterans working for the Green Bay Police Department in various capacities, the department understands the importance of Veterans Day.

“These are people who, in many cases, have served overseas and they’ve left their home to keep us all safe. And in the police service, we can kind of relate to that, although our service is here at home and overseas it’s a little different in what we do. But also, a lot of our department members are veterans themselves,” said Chief Chris Davis.

Members of the department teamed up with Mission BBQ for a luncheon Friday at Veterans Manor to honor those who have served.

“This is always a mixed bag for me because I am a peace time veteran. I feel differently. Part of me feels like I don’t deserve it, but I was there, I did what I could do, and had things turned out differently, I would have still been there, so I am very grateful,” said Army veteran Margaret Mary Lee.

USMC Vietnam and Wisconsin Marine Corps veteran Philip Livingston said the outreach is much appreciated.

“It was great. I was just thinking about doing my laundry and they said the police are here and I thought, ‘For me?’ And they said ‘No, they’re making us a lunch’ and I thought it was just great.”

Right now there are more than 300,000 veterans living in Wisconsin, more than 14,000 in Brown County alone. According to the Brown County Veterans Service Office, the face of veterans is changing with the times.

“The younger generation can learn a lot from them, can learn a lot about what it means to be a veteran in the community, because they’ve set the standard. And so it’s an example for us, as a younger generation of veterans, to say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re committed to in our community, this is what we’ve done for years and now it’s your turn to take the reins,'” said Matthew Franklin.

According to Franklin, the younger generation is in fact stepping up. While VFWs and American Legion posts may look different, or not even exist anymore, the sentiment to serve is still there and that’s what matters most.

He added, “We’re in a different society now and we don’t necessarily gather at a place. We like to be out in the community more and have more interaction with veterans out in the community.”