Military veterans, community leaders and members of the public gathered at the East Mississippi Veterans Memorial Park on Friday to recognize those who serve or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces in a special Veterans Day event.

Veterans Day, which is held annually on November 11, is set aside to recognize military service members, past and present, and thank them for their service to the nation.

Jeff Summerlin, president of the East Mississippi Veterans Foundation, said it is America’s veterans that defend and preserve the freedoms and liberties that ordinary citizens enjoy, and Veterans Day is a time to show gratitude for their sacrifices.

“So today, we honor all our veterans who unselfishly placed their lives on the line for our freedom,” he said. “Those men and women were ordinary people until they heard the call of duty and answered it.”

U.S. Army Col. Robert R. Bartran, who currently serves as director of the counter drug program for the Mississippi National Guard and keynote speaker for Friday’s event, said the word “veteran” has multiple meanings. One possible definition, he said, is a person who has served in the military.

“I think that’s pretty simple,” he said. “Those are the people you see here today.”

Veterans are not hard to spot, Bartran said, and there are days, such as Veterans Day, set aside to recognize them for their military service.

The second definition of a veteran, however, is someone who has a lot of experience in a particular field and is an expert, and Bartran said that is what he calls on all military veterans to be.

“Be an expert in what you do. Get experience of what’s expected of you as you serve this great nation,” he said. “So please, be a veteran veteran.”

One such example of a veteran veteran, Bartran said, is a familiar name in Meridian, with the large aircraft hanger at the Mississippi Air National Guard Base at Key Field bearing his name. G.V. Sonny Montgomery, he said, was one of the greatest veterans Mississippi and the nation has ever seen.

“He served, he signed his name, he made the commitment to his country, but he stayed with it, and he always gave back to those who gave to him,” he said. “And look what he’s done for our veterans. There are national benefits named in his honor.”

Montgomery, Bartran said, made a commitment to serve his country, and continued to honor that commitment throughout his life, and the impact of his work is felt throughout Lauderdale County, the state of Mississippi and the country.

“As we’re here today, I’m thankful for two things, the veterans who have served but also the patriots who honor us and keep folks like G.V. Sonny Montgomery’s memory alive,” he said.

Summerlin said he was grateful for all those who participated in Friday’s event recognizing America’s veterans, and encouraged members of the community to thank the nation’s veterans for what they have done.

“Today we honor all those who gave their lives and all those who risked their lives so that our nation could remain free, and we honor all those who, at this very moment, are standing watch for freedom and security from our bases across the United States and to missions around the world,” he said. “To each and every American who has worn the uniform of the United States armed forces, we just say simply from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”