Early Veterans Day ceremony held at Seaford nursing facility

SEAFORD, Del. – Veteran’s Day isn’t until November 11th, but that didn’t stop local groups from getting a head start on recognizing those who have served.

Wednesday, the Lofland Park Center and the Seaford Center, skilled nursing facilities in Delaware, held a ceremony honoring military veterans, with over a dozen from the two centers in attendance.

“The smiles, the joy, the pride, the residents that served, they look so forward to this recognition ceremony to honor them,” said Lofland Park Center Administrator Tawnya Dennis.

“They can’t always get to some of the big outside the center events…so it’s good that we can bring something to them,” said Cheryl Heiks, Executive Director of the Delaware Health Care Facilities Association. She added that the importance of elderly care for veterans cannot be overstated: “We’ve seen that time after time, as has been proven out in studies, they need special attention. They need a concentrated approach that needs to be aware of what they’ve been through”

Major General Michael Berry, Adjutant General of the Delaware Army and Air National Guard, said this ceremony–and Veterans day–serve as reminders of what he calls the “unwritten contract,” the idea that the public needs to support those who defend our nation. “That contract is an obligation that we as a society have to maintain, because without the individuals that are willing to put the uniforms on, our society ceases to exist.”

For Tawnya Dennis, recognizing their veterans was the least they can do: “If there’s anything we can do to give back to them, then that’s my calling, to work with them and give back to those that we saw that served our country.”