WWII veterans honored in Washington D.C for Veterans’ Day ceremony

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - People across the country are honoring those who put their lives on the line for the nation.

On this Veterans Day, the National World War II memorial held a special ceremony where veterans were once again allowed to take part.

Thursday’s ceremony honoring veterans was put on by the National Parks Service and Friends of the World War II Memorial.

It included five World War Two veterans like Robert Marovelli, a former Navy Torpedoman Second Class who shared stories with us about some of the combat he saw.

Marovelli, who was born to a coal miner in Ohio, said he joined the Navy at 17 years old and originally wanted to serve on submarines but was assigned to torpedo boats.

He recalled one intense moment of combat while at the memorial on Thursday. He said, “We had to get off is going to blow up. We had a fire, so the other boat came in and we jumped and that was it for all.”

When asked Marovelli what it meant to be part of Thursday’s ceremony, Marovelli said, “I really appreciate this whole thing.”

Sam Smith, a spokesman for the Friends of the World War II Memorial said it was special having veterans return for the Veterans Day ceremony after the COVID-19 pandemic made it unsafe for them to take part last year.

Smith said the ceremony is not just for those who attended, but for the more than 16 million men and women who served the U.S. in World War Two.

Smith said, “We hope that the impact of this commemoration honors every World War Two veteran and every veteran that’s in our great country.”

The ceremony capped with wreaths being laid to honor the more than 400,000 Americans and 60 million people worldwide who died in the war.

To learn more about the Friends of the WWII Memorial, you can visit www.wwiimemorialfriends.org.

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