BY DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN

dvaughan@heraldsun.com; 419-6563

Durham veterans came to support each other and be recognized for their service Friday morning at the Salute to Veterans program at the Center for Senior Life.

Those who were able rose when their branch's song was performed by the wind symphony of the Durham School of the Arts. The Army got the most men and women on their feet.

Among the 20 or so veterans was Willie Jones, who served in the Army from 1964 to 1967 in the 82nd Airborne Division and the 1st Cavalry Division Airmobile, in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam. Jones is a member of several veteran organizations.

He said he joined the veterans groups for the connection and camaraderie.

"When you communicate with other combat veterans you come out of your shell and it makes you feel better," he said.

"I came here today because I wanted to be here and salute all of the military veterans and especially the Marines of Montford Point," Jones said. Friday's program recognized black Marines who trained during the 1940s at Montford Point, the segregated area of Camp Lejeune. After the program, a documentary about the Montford Point Marines was shown. The senior center bought a copy of the film and may show it again in the future. More than 20,000 African-Americans trained at Montford Point and became the first to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The program also included other musical selections by the Durham SOTA symphony and remarks by retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Alex Castro, who gave an overview of military history from World War II to today. James Lewis, pastor of Progressive Holiness Church and an Army veteran of the Vietnam war, gave the invocation and closing prayer.

Veterans wore stars made by the adult day health program at the center, and received cards of appreciation from students at Bethesda Elementary School.

Army veteran Jerond Belton served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967 with the 1st Cavalry Division Military Assistance Command and the 1st Field Force. He did long-range reconnaissance and called in air strikes, he said. Belton suffers from post traumatic stress and attends a program at the Durham VA Medical Center.

"What we did was not in vain," Belton said. "It's still about freedom. For those who fought for freedom, the protected will never know the flavor of that freedom."

He designed Durham's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located at Edison Johnson Park. He'll lead a Veterans Day service there at 11 a.m. Wednesday, with a film to be shown after at the recreation center.

Belton said he supports both veterans and those now serving. "I like to make sure when these young men come home, they're welcomed home," he said.