“Who is a veteran?” asked Col. Mike Runy, US Army (Ret.), the keynote speaker at Saturday’s Veterans Day celebration in Town Hall attended by more than 70 townspeople.
Runy answered that question: a veteran is “anyone who signed up to serve their country in any branch of the service, whether it is regular military, Reserves or National Guard, if they received a DD 214 (honorable discharge).’”
Runy, now head of school at Portsmouth Christian Academy, noted the large number of veterans in the Seacoast area due to the presence of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the former Pease Air Force Base, and several National Guard and Reserve units.
VFW member Mal Kenney estimated that more than 600 veterans live in South Berwick and Berwick alone.
Boy Scout Troop 338 served as color guard for the event, and Town Councilor Melissa Costella sang the national anthem. Council Chair Mallory Cook read a proclamation officially designating South Berwick a Purple Heart Town. Councilors Jessica Cyr and John James were also in attendance.
Seacoast Christian Academy of South Berwick provided patriotic decorations and refreshments, organized by teacher Deborah Garrett.
