The smell of burnt gunpowder lingered in the air of American Legion Post 86 in Rockville this morning as a lone trumpeter played "Taps" to memorialize those who served and died in the armed forces.
Moved inside because of rain, the Rockville Veterans Day Ceremony went ahead as planned with a wreath-laying ceremony, guest speakers and a full 21-gun salute.
For veterans Dorothy and Joseph Zetts, 89 and 90 years old respectively, the ceremony was an opportunity to reflect on their years of service and come together with other veterans.
"I enjoyed it very much because it brought back memories of fellows I knew that died and some that are still alive," Joseph Zetts said.
He and Dorothy met during World War II and were married in 1947.
Dorothy was a member of the Cadet Nurse Corps, supervised by the Department of Public Health Services, and served in the Pacific Northwest. Joseph was an Army platoon leader with the 43rd Infantry in the Philippines.
While in the Philippines he and his men rushed the enemy and he was shot in the left shoulder, the bullet shattering his collarbone.
He was later recalled to service as a transportation officer during the Korean War.
Dorothy Zetts is proud of her service as a nurse on the home front, which was far from easy.
"All the doctors and nurses had left to go fight, so we ended up doing all the things doctors would normally," she said.
When Joseph returned from war, he became an art teacher at Gaithersburg High School.
"It means an awful lot to me," Dorothy Zetts said of being recognized at the ceremony. "I've been deeply touched."
Retired Army Intelligence Officer Lt. Col. Denise A. DeLawter, the guest speaker at the ceremony, related her experiences working at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, with a better understanding of what it means to serve.
"At the Pentagon, service was truly defined for me," she said.
Although she was not in the building when the airplane hit, she lost several friends and colleagues in the attack.
"There were no tears at work," she said. "We attended many memorial services and there were tears there. But we bonded as a band of soldiers, and that's something I will hold onto for the rest of my life."
She said the smell of jet fuel lingered in one stairwell for almost two years after the attack and served as a reminder of not just the horrific attack, but also the heroic efforts of the men and women who endured it.
For 56-year-old Harry Wacke of Beltsville, being a veteran is a process of service.
"It's about educating those who can't serve, who have served and who will serve," he said.
Wacke served in the Air Force from 1978 to 1998 and guarded aircraft, including Air Force One, the president's plane.
His grandfather was in the Lost Battalion in World War I and his father fought at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, and so it was natural that Wacke went into the service after high school, he said.
"It's a process of caring," he said. "It's a process where you don't forget."
