“Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.”
Those were the words of Ronald Reagan in 1961, 19 years before he was U.S. President.
The sentence was repeated Friday by American Legion John H. Collins Post 24 Junior Vice Commander Ray Gagne during a Veterans Day ceremony on the Derby Green.
The event featured guest speakers from several Derby-based veterans’ organizations, including the Catholic War Veterans Post 1652 and The Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The guest speaker was American Legion Department Commander Mary Ann Roczynski, who reminded citizens that there are 23 million military veterans in the U.S., many of whom paid for their service to the country with their blood.
“We must remember them. We must appreciate them,” she said.
Click the photo gallery to see images from the event.
