East New Market Holds First Veteran’s Day Ceremony

(EAST NEW MARKET, Md) – Communities across the country are honoring their veterans as part of Veterans Day. And in East New Market, they’re joining that tradition as they hold their first Veterans Day ceremony.

East New Market Mayor, Gary Lucks says holding this ceremony was important for the veterans of North Dorchester County. He wants a way to honor them without needing to drive to ceremonies in Salisbury or Cambridge.

Mayor Lucks tells WMDT, “So I said, ‘why not do something here for them so they can enjoy it right in their hometown? And honor them?’ That that’s the biggest thing is they need to be honored and thanked.”

Mayor Lucks said if even a dozen people showed up Tuesday, it would be a success.

More than 20 people braved the cold temperatures and high winds to honor those who’ve served.

We spoke with a couple of veterans who call East New Market home about the town holding a ceremony, and thanking them for their service.

“I would beg everybody to just go ahead and just take a service man and just say, welcome home. And that means a lot,” says Retired Air Force Sergeant, David Tolley.

While Retired Army Specialist, Chuck Zimmerman says, “Well, I think it’s a long time coming. I think we need to, you know, honor all of our veterans.”

And given the success of the first official Veteran’s Day Ceremony in the North Dorchester town, Mayor Lucks is already looking for how next year’s ceremony can grow.

“This is a word of mouth community. So I think they’ll all go home and say, ‘wow, that was something. You know? You need to attend next year’,” says Mayor Lucks.

The town also honors each veteran whose served with a banner that hangs from the various street lights throughout the community.