Photo by Cindy Connell Palmer

MONROE—Roy Rogers once said, “We can’t all be heroes; someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.”

Many veterans will say “I’m not a hero, I was just doing my job.”

Just doing a job? The job of defending our nation is something that less than 1% of our population ever volunteers to do.

With a population of 333.6 million, there are less than 19 million veterans living in the United States today, and each deserves honor and respect. St. Anna Church’s Knights of Columbus Council 14425 paid tribute to service men and women for the fourth straight year with its Wall of Honor (WOH) at the Monroe parish.

Col. Bob Griffin, USAF (retired), Council Grand Knight and WOH chair, said that the success of the program does not surprise him. He said the parish community is one of the most patriotic he’s encountered, even during his 27 years of active duty service.

Col. Bob Griffin leads the Scouts and Knights of Columbus in a flag retirement ceremony at St. Anna church Nov. 6 following Mass. Photo by Cindy Connell Palmer

Having so many connections to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard in the St. Anna family prompted the community to pay tribute by building a 32-foot portable Wall of Honor. The wall will be displayed in the church narthex until Nov. 30. The respect for the tribute grows with more pictures and names and stories to learn and share each year. The wall has expanded from 204 pictures and names to 316 in four years.

“I’m thrilled to have my grandfather, father and brother displayed on the wall this year. It’s the least our family can do to honor their service,” said Michael Plumb a longtime parishioner at St. Anna.

In 2021 there was the tragic loss of 13 military lives during the withdrawal in Afghanistan, and more recently, the death of retired General Colin Powell.

“It’s an honor for me to support this program at St. Anna’s and see our community’s veterans and their families recognized for their service,” said Father Daniel Toof, pastor.

There are 13 Gold Star Members recognized on the wall this year. Their families are part of a club they didn’t want to be members of—they all have lost a service member in the line of duty.

A directory placed near the wall profiles each veteran with a photo, type of service, length of service, ranking, awards and geographical areas served. It also lists the individual who submitted the veteran’s profile.

The church is located at 1401 Alcovy St. in Monroe. The Knights conducted a flag retirement ceremony following a Mass to honor veterans on Nov. 6.