Northeast Ohio -- Northeast Ohio community comes together to honor veterans
At the third annual Veterans Day breakfast at the Brooklyn Fire Department the menu featured staples like toast, pancakes, and eggs -- but the real main course was fellowship.
- Third Annual Veterans Day Breakfast
- Serves up Great Food and Fellowship
- Shows Appreciation for Veterans Sacrifice
“I come to this breakfast just to associate with some of the fellas and exchange some stories of where each other served," said Army veteran Jack Abbruzzese.
The 78-year-old said for him, Veterans Day is a day is about memories.
One moment he said he’ll never forget is the day he received his draft notice roughly 56 years ago. “I jumped out of bed, in my shorts, went to the front door, and the postman was just walking up the steps," he said. "He handed me the letter. They have to hand carry it to you. So I got my notice that quick, that way. And from there on, it was just one step after another.”
The next steps eventually put Abbruzzese as a radio telegraph teletype operator in Germany.
Decades later, he said the day serves as a reminder that freedom is a gift, not a given.
That’s a sentiment echoed by fellow veteran Edward Gregorek, too.
After spending 13 years in the Army, he’s now the store manager of a local Walmart.
Employees from his store helped prepare the event's breakfast and serve it to attendees.
He said it's a way to honor his fellow veterans for the sacrifice they've made to the country.
“It’s very good to give the veterans something to look forward to every Veterans Day and show our appreciation to them,” he said.
As for Gregorek, the 37-year-old uses the lessons he learned in the Army every day.
“A big thing is just discipline, getting up early and getting after it, staying motivated and positive, and using what the military taught me in my daily life with work and my family," he said.