By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
The Hays Veterans of Foreign Wars hosted a Veterans Day program on Monday at Post 9076 in honor of all who have served. Veterans of various wars attended with their families and took part in commemorating others for the federal holiday.
“Veterans Day is a rich tradition of the United States and here in Hays,” Senior Vice Commander Joe Devine said. “The men and women of the VFW and auxiliary are proud to honor our veterans and those serving today with this ceremony.”
The Hays Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9016 begin their Veterans Day program with honoring the flag. 
Veterans fire honorary shots in remembrance of those who have served. 
Bob Munsch, commandant of the Marine Corps League, raises the American Flag. 
Former personnel of various branches of the military sit front aisle at the program. 
The Veterans Day program featured speeches, music, and veterans’ perspectives on the federal holiday. 
Members of the VFW stand as their names are called. 
Mariella Dreiling poses with her award from the Voice of Democracy for her audio essay. 
Dreiling reads her essay about protecting American values, maintaining an informed populace, and ensuring accountability towards government. 
Col. Gregory Akers, a Marine Corps veteran and Fort Hays graduate, was the guest speaker at the program. 
Akers spoke about topics that pertained to veterans such as serving their country even in inactive duty, being first responders, and defending the Constitution. 
Bob Dreiling performed numerous songs including “God Bless the U.S.A.” 
Munsch explains what the folds of the American flag stand for as each are demonstrated.
Mariella Dreiling, a junior at Hays High, won the Hays VFW Voice of Democracy certificate of merit for her work in the program’s audio-essay competition. Her essay focused on the current state of America and the founding father’s vision for the country.
“Is America today our forefathers’ vision?,” she began in her essay. “Unfortunately, no. Significant problems exist and will become more prevalent if we do not address the issues that do not align with our forefathers’ vision.”
Dreiling’s essay maintained hope for the future and fighting for what the forefathers believed.
“Despite the problems that exist, the core principles that our great nation is built upon still hold true,” she said. “Creating the United States of America was not an easy task, and maintaining it takes continuous, determined efforts. Shared power was an essential component of our forefathers’ vision. Shared power lets every citizen have a voice in government decisions and is upheld by checks and balances.”
Her essay also calls out the bias and misinformation, which she states can be countered by informed voters.
“Democracy thrives on accountability and transparency,” she said. “Citizens must be well informed in a non-biased way of what decisions are taking place in the government. President [Ronald] Reagan stated that freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. All is not lost. We can work to ensure that all citizens understand our country’s history and the challenges that were overcome to create our great nation.”
Col. Gregory Akers, a Fort Hays State University graduate who served in the Marine Corps, was the guest speaker at the program.
“Veterans Day is when we celebrate all those who have served in the uniform, living and deceased,” he said.
Akers described the formation of Armistice Day, now celebrated as Veteran’s Day. World War I ended on Nov. 11, 1918 at the 11th hour when an armistice was signed.
“One year after it was signed, President [Woodrow] Wilson issued a message proclaiming the day as Armistice Day. Then, on May 13, 1938, Congress passed an act which officially made Armistice Day a legal holiday following World War II,” Akers said. “Ed Rees, a Kansas representative, proposed legislation that recognized all veterans. It was signed into law by President [Dwight] Eisenhower, and Congress amended that bill in 1954 to replace the name armistice with Veterans Day.”
Akers reflected on veterans’ responsibility to preserve the U.S. Constitution and protect the American people, whether in active or inactive service.
“Veterans raise their right hand and swear an oath to the Constitution to defend the nation against enemies foreign and domestic,” he said. “It is a social contract with the American people. Most enlisted individuals had an actual date when their service was up. For our former enlisted individuals, I’d ask you: do you recall an expiration date on that oath? I’ve given that oath many times, and I don’t recall an expiration date. Your contract date may have ended, but your oath has not.”
He reminded the audience that they enjoy their freedoms because of the sacrifices veterans have made and urged them to review the Constitution to remember those freedoms.
“What veterans have done is to keep this nation and many others safe in actual combat or acting as a deterrence,” Akers said. “This is why you have the freedoms you enjoy today. Most people don’t appreciate what this country is all about. This is why you have the right to speak freely, to criticize the government, the right to own a firearm, and many other rights. We really ought to periodically review the Bill of Rights because that’s critical to our society.”
Akers closed his speech by raising awareness of the veteran population and how they continue to serve their country.
“In 2024, the veteran population is 17.9 million,” he said. “Kansas is home to approximately 150,000 veterans, with 30% of them having some level of disability. Their average age is somewhere between 42 and 44 years old. They continue to serve their communities. They’re firefighters, law enforcement, truck drivers, coaches, teachers, administrators, and a number of other small business owners. Veterans are leaders in their communities. They’re often the first to respond in a crisis.”