THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — Thomasville's veterans spent the Veterans Day holiday giving back, honoring graves and visiting nursing homes. Neighbors also showed their support during the city's annual flag ceremony.
- Veterans, students, and first responders gathered at the Old Thomas County Courthouse for the annual ceremony.
- Kids from Thomasville City and Thomas County Schools led the Pledge of Allegiance and handed out personalized thank-you cards to local veterans.
- Watch the video below to see what members of VFW Post 4995 do other than this event to honor veterans.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Each Veterans Day, more than 18 million Americans are recognized for their service. And here in Thomasville, that gratitude filled the courthouse lawn.
This annual flag ceremony, hosted by VFW Post 4995, brings together veterans, families, first responders, and students from both city and county schools.
It's not only a moment to honor their service, but also to learn from their journey.
"It was honestly some of the best and some of the worst times. I spent 13 years in it, and I've met some of the most incredible people. You learn a lot about who you are and who you don't want to be, the kind of people that you want to be around, and you learn how to lead and how not to lead," said Veteran Taylor Sapp.
Sapp says seeing kids holding signs and handing out thank-you cards may seem small, but for veterans, it means the world.
"I actually I still have all of the letters and cards from when my sister was in kindergarten, I believe it was her class wrote a whole bunch of letters to me, and I still have all of them," said Sapp.
Sapp and other veterans tell me moments like these help them feel seen, especially after years of feeling overlooked once they came home.
But this ceremony reminded them that their service still matters.
"We went off to war, we came back, we didn't really receive much respect for a while there. I'm talking about the Vietnam veterans, because I'm a combat Vietnam veteran and stuff. But now, everyone is making amends for all of that. They recognize a veteran, they understand what we do, and we're important to them," said Veteran Eddie Brown.
Brown is the first African-American to lead Thomasville's VFW Post 4995 in its 80-year history, the same group behind this ceremony.
They do more than organize events. They clean and restore veterans' graves, place over 4,000 flags each Memorial Day, and help families get headstones for loved ones.
Most importantly, they give veterans a safe space to connect, share stories, and find purpose again.
After the flag ceremony, veterans in Thomas County visited three local nursing homes to honor those who couldn't make it downtown.
If you're a veteran looking for community, you can join VFW Post 4995, which meets every third Saturday of the month at this location: 1296 Old Cassidy Rd., Thomasville, GA, United States, Georgia.
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