Lorain Veterans Council names 2024 Veteran of the Year

LORAIN – For Lorain's 2024 Veteran of the Year, the award was for everyone in the room. General Brown, a Vietnam veteran and longtime volunteer throughout the community, was named this year's Veteran of the Year by the Lorain Veterans Council. And in a first in the award's lengthy history, he accepted it while standing on a chair in the middle of the Knights of Columbus hall. "This award is personally given to me but this is for all of us in this room, being a veteran or a nonveteran, we're Americans," he said. He was one of three nominatees this year, alongside Lorain Councilman Antonio Baez, D-6th Ward, and AMVETS Post 47 Commander Mike Kachure. Brown is a 1967 graduate of Admiral King High School and spent 11 months and 25 days in Vietnam after he was drafted into the Army on Valentine's Day 1969. He was previously nominated for the honor in 2023. Looking out at the sea of fellow veterans and community members, Brown thanked his fellow service members and vowed his service would not end after Saturday's banquet. "Each and every one of you have made the land of the free and the home of the brave," he said. "Those that have gone before us, those that are coming up, we must carry the torch. My service will not end with this award. My service to the community, to you, you and you, will be forever." Once his feet were back on the ground, Brown was soon surrounded by well-wishers, including fellow Vietnam veteran and 2013 Veteran of the Year Don Attie, Commander of the Disabled American Veterans Post 20 in Lorain. Brown is the DAV Chaplain and a member of its honor guard; the National Association of Black Veterans, American Legion, Lorain Veterans Council and Valor Home Advisory Board. He supports numerous charities, including St. Jude's Research hospital for Children, and has volunteered at his church, Mount Zion Baptist Church for more than 60 years. He is also known to drive community members to doctor's appointments or deliver food boxes to those in need; and he helps care for a neighbor with dementia. Brown was not the only person honored at Saturday's banquet. U.S. Navy Veteran John Sekletar gave the evening's keynote speech and received recognition from the Veterans Council for his, and his son Mike's, efforts in Amherst at Patriots Park. Sekletar's public work started in 2011, with the unveiling of a mural that Veterans Day by Mike Sekletar of the flag raising on Iwo Jima during World War II on an office building in Amherst. From there, the Sekletars' work grew to include several other murals, each unveiled on Veterans Day, and later the Patriots Park mural and set of rotating paintings that opened in 2021. Sekletar recalled when he returned from Vietnam in 1972 a fight broke out in the airport between protestors and the veterans coming home. "At that point in my life I said to myself I'm making a vow that I will never, ever let this happen to anybody else coming back from serving our country," he said. Since then, he's been on two honor flights, he said. And it was the response at the airport that struck him — civilians clapping choked him up when he thought about what happened decades ago. "We have made progress and I'm feeling a lot better about it," he said. The Sekletars' mural projects have been entirely donation-driven, including raising the $30,000 needed to construct the sandstone wall that became Patriots Park. Lorain Veterans Council President and 2023 Veteran of the Year Stephen Sturgill presented Sgt. 1st Class Vicente Velazquez, retiring Army JROTC instructor for Lorain Schools, with a certificate recognizing him for his service in the community. Sturgill also works at Lorain Schools. "Your passion for service and your dedication to the LHS program exemplify the values of honor, courage, and commitment that we hold dear," Sturgill said of Velazquez. "You have not only shaped the lives of individual cadets but have also contributed to the strength and success of our entire program." Army National Guard veteran and local attorney Zach Simonoff also received recognition for his volunteerism and involvement with the Lorain County Veterans Treatment Court, Jewish War Veterans and other organizations. "His favorite phrase is 'Guys I am extremely busy,'" Sturgill said with a laugh. "And somehow, we ignore that and he ends up on a committee." Sturgill also recognized Music on a Mission Executive Director Marilyn Zeidner for her work with veterans via Project DREW. The project invites veterans to share their experiences with a musician who writes a song based on the individual's story. Sturgill said he participated, after some hesitancy, and found the experience one of the most powerful things he had done, and still listens to the song crafted out of the workshop. The project is named for Special Forces Capt. Drew Ferguson, of Avon Lake, a Green Beret and musician who completed several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He died by suicide in 2017. During his address as Council President Sturgill said the council has a longstanding tradition of service and called for its members to "once again rise to the challenge." "Whether it's volunteering at local schools, cleaning up parks, or supporting initiatives that promote equality and justice, we have a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of those around us," he said. " … As veterans, we know firsthand the power of coming together as a team to overcome obstacles and achieve our goals. Let us harness that same spirit of fellowship as we work towards building stronger, more resilient communities for future generations. This year marked the 67th annual Lorain Veterans Council banquet. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.