Gov. Jim Doyle addressed hundreds of veterans Thursday morning at the state Capitol in commemoration of the nationally celebrated Veterans Day.
“American veterans have served with duty, loyalty and selfless courage,” Doyle said from the Rotunda. “Today we pay homage to so many who gave their lives … for freedom.”
Joined by Wisconsin Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs John Scocos, Doyle said Wisconsin is leading the way in helping to re-acclimate veterans to civilian life. “Mission: Welcome Home” was the theme of the day as Doyle and Scocos honored soldiers from the state returning from service in Iraq.
Doyle announced Wisconsin this week became the first state to sign on as an employer with the U.S. Army’s Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program. The initiative will provide access to jobs in state government for soldiers completing their time on active duty.
Not only would the program ease the transition for soldiers away from the Armed Forces, but the state also benefits from highly-trained and committed workers, Doyle said. Like the GI Bill, the PaYS program will prove that when the country invests in veterans, veterans deliver for the country, the governor said.
“Veterans have been at the heart of Wisconsin for many years,” Doyle said, adding the PaYS program will say thanks for their service.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Veterans Day in 1954 to honor American soldiers from all wars and conflicts. The day had previously been known as Armistice Day to observe the end of World War I.
The Capitol ceremony was one of many planned throughout the area in observance of the nation’s 24.9 million veterans.
“It brings back a lot of memories,” World War II veteran Leon Slauson said of the ceremonies. “Every time this comes up, I can’t help but become patriotic.”
The day took on a particularly somber tone in the Madison area, however, due to the Department of Defense’s announcement earlier this week that three men from a Madison-based Marine Corps Reserve unit had died in Iraq.
Among those killed was Lance Cpl. Shane K. O’Donnell, a 24-year-old resident of DeForest, Wisconsin. He died Nov. 8 as a result of enemy action in Babil Province, an area just south of Baghdad.
Paul Ingebrigston, distribution manager at Demco Media, a Madison-based book manufacturer, recalled nothing but positive memories of O’Donnell, who worked for the company in 2000.
“He was just a kind of happy-go-lucky and very positive person,” Ingebrigston said. “I cried when I learned about him. Usually I would just have tears in my eyes, but this time they were rolling down my face.”
As of Nov. 10, 1149 soldiers have died as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including 26 from Wisconsin.
