Medford, Ore.- “We owe ’em a thank you,” Congressman Greg Walden says in front of crowd of dozens of veterans and Southern Oregon locals.
The day honoring those who have served our country brought together veterans from across the Rogue Valley and started on a reflective note in Central Point at Don Jones Park.
“Each and every veteran here is a living memorial to the enormous sacrifices that our military members make every moment that they serve,” Congressman Walden says.
From there, the celebration continued into downtown Medford with a celebratory parade starting near Hawthorne Park.
The parade included local vets, a group of young marines, and local girl scouts.
All of the festivities led one local vet to reflect on his time in the service, after having served from 1966 to 1970.
He started when he was just 19, headed to Vietnam.
“We had the ugly things that a 20 year old kid should never see,” Ralph Groover says of his time in the war.
Groover was drafted fresh out of high school. During his time serving our country he switched branches of the armed forces from where he was originally drafted to the Marine Corps. to the Air Force.
Ralph says that one of the most difficult parts of being a vet is coming home.
“Our country called us and we accepted that call. And went there and did our job and came back to kind of a nasty homecoming,” he explains.
That is why he got involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars group in Southern Oregon.
Now, 47 years after his time in Vietnam, Ralphs legacy of service to the U.S. continues on, through his children.
“I have two sons that are in the Air Force right now and I have two daughters that are just out of the Navy,” Ralph says.
Ralphs love for the country lives on.
Ralph Groover says Veterans Day is important to him because, “Veterans Day is a day to remember why the nation is what it is and who it is.”
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.