Bonds between vets often stronger than family, speaker tells courthouse crowd

YOUNGSTOWN

Veterans Day can be summed up in one word, a speaker said Friday during a ceremony at the Mahoning County Courthouse.

“It’s all about service,” said retired Lt. Col. Rod Hosler, a member of the county Veterans Service Commission who also was a professor of military studies at Youngstown State University.

Hosler was the main speaker at the United Veterans Council of Greater Youngstown Veterans Day Observance in the rotunda of the courthouse.

Hosler said veterans are people who exemplify the best qualities of service, by leaving their homes and families to risk their lives in order to protect our nation.

He said the bond among veterans is stronger than family in some cases because they are often thrown together in dangerous circumstances far from home and they do not want to let their comrades down. He said the most enduring memories from the service for veterans are often of the people with whom they served.

“You get to know them better than your wife or your brother. You would lay down your life for them,” he said.

Read more about the event in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.