Veterans honored during special service at Danville memorial

By Bernard Baker

Published: November 11, 2008

During a Veterans Day service Tuesday, the pastor of College Park Baptist Church said those who serve in the military uphold the biblical parable of laying down their lives for others every day.

The Rev. Cam McIntyre, a retired Air Force colonel, said veterans also have made these sacrifices.

“That’s what veterans do,” he said at the ceremony held at the Danville-Pittsylvania County Veterans Memorial.

McIntyre recalled Navy corpsman John Bradley, who was made famous for being one of the men photographed hoisting the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima. Bradley came back to the country a hero, but he declined the notoriety and honors that went with it, the pastor said.

Bradley did not talk a lot about the war in the Pacific. He did tell his son that he didn’t feel like a hero. The heroes of Iwo Jima and World War II were the ones who didn’t come home, McIntyre said.

Davis Newman, organizer of the Danville-Pittsylvania County Veterans Memorial, said Tuesday’s ceremony honored all veterans.

“All veterans have served their country and we salute your sacrifice,” Newman said.

He said the memorial has been open for about a year, and 5,400 bricks have been purchases and engraved from veterans of all wars. Newman said 23 bricks were engraved Monday.

“I have never heard of such a response from a community like this,” he said.

The next project is to build a fence around the memorial.

Contact Bernard Baker at or (434) 791-7986.