Perimeter residents celebrate generations of American veterans
Artist Curtis Pittman, left, cheers as local philanthropist and business leader Sunny Park, right, and his family cut the ribbon Nov. 11 on Veterans Park’s new sculpture — “Be the Light.” The Veterans Day ceremonies in Sandy Springs also saw the unveiling of Kevin Chambers’ “Three Generations” at the park.
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
NORTH METRO ATLANTA — On both sides of the Fulton-DeKalb County line north of I-285, communities gathered to recognize the selflessness of Americans who served in the U.S. military.
Veterans Day ceremonies in the cities of Dunwoody and Sandy Springs Nov. 11 saw community members come together as citizens of the United States to honor Americans who served in the armed forces.
Just before Sandy Springs officials unveiled two new monuments at Veterans Park, the Dunwoody community gathered at Brook Run Park for one of its most important and unifying traditions.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10822 serves both Perimeter cities, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, which held separate ceremonies at their local veterans’ memorials.
A look at Veterans Park in Sandy Springs Nov. 11 shows the new sculpture, Be the Light, unveiled during the city’s 2024 Veterans Day ceremony. Curtis Pittman’s 33-foot internally lit structure symbolizes eternal light with its seven spires representing each branch of the military. HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Dunwoody resident and retired Lt. Col. Thomas Ariail, who serves as commander of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter, spoke in front of the DeKalb Veterans Memorial to a crowd of 100.
When no World War II veterans stood to be recognized at the start of the speech, faces grew long in the absence of a member of the Greatest Generation.
As veterans began standing in recognition of service in Vietnam, pride returned to faces in the crowd.
“My initial point is on memory; it’s always fascinated me how the brain can store and hold incredible amounts of information,” Ariail said. “Sometimes it’s not so easy to share these thoughts with others … our VFW Post started having lunches after our meetings as a way for them to open up and build common links.”
Ariail smiled as he talked about his fellow veterans giving interviews at the Atlanta History Center, speaking at local high schools and celebrating Brook Run Park’s new Vietnam War Memorial with the Atlanta business community and Vietnamese Americans.
“Veterans have a lot of memories and experiences to share,” he said. “For those in the audience, seek them out and learn with an open mind.”
After reminding fellow service members not to embellish the stories too much, the audience let out a collective laugh.
Retired Lt. Col. Thomas Ariail discusses the role of memory in the lives of American service members transitioning back into civilian life at the Nov. 11 Dunwoody Veterans Day Ceremony at Brook Run Park. Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch and Police Chief Mike Carlson, pictured left, also spoke to the crowd of 100.
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
After serving for more than 23 years across various combat zones, Ariail encouraged high schoolers who are uncertainof their direction to consider military service. He said they would learn leadership, discipline and leave with a lifetime of great stories.
Through the keynote address, the crowd of veterans and community members enjoyed the quiet, reflective morning at Brook Run Park.
Just 5 miles west at City Springs, people gathered inside the Byers Theatre to watch the Sandy Springs Middle School Choir perform “God Bless America” along with other patriotic classics.
Former Sandy Springs City Manager and retired Marine Col. John McDonough served as keynote speaker, discussing the sacrifices and difficulties that face veterans’ families.
“Some of my fondest memories are from my time in uniform where I had the privilege to serve alongside some of the finest men and women this country has to offer,” he said.
McDonough took the Byers Theatre crowd through his four deployments, including 54 operations around the Mediterranean Sea and summers training as a tank commander with Police Chief Kenneth DeSimone in the Mojave Desert.
“As we reflect on the service of our veterans, it’s important to remember that their commitment to this country does not end with the conclusion of their military career,” McDonough said. “Their sense of duty, honor and sacrifice continues to shape our nation, whether they served in combat zones or supported critical operations, each veteran contributed to the preservation of the freedoms we hold dear.”
McDonough, who served as city manager from 2006-2019, recalled the first Sandy Springs Veterans Day Ceremony at Morgan Falls Overlook Park.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul told his friend McDonough that he loved him before crediting him for his heavy lifting and attention to detail building the city’s downtown district — City Springs.
“He said something I will never forget, ‘Where I come from, if you’re not paying attention to detail, people die,’” Paul said. “That training served us all well, thank you John.”
The mayor also discussed the city’s partnership with Art Sandy Springs for two new monuments before the ceremony headed across Ga. 9 Veterans Park.
Kevin Chambers’ Three Generations is a bronze statue depicting a veteran and his young daughter who are facing and looking up at the weaving 30-foot tall Be the Light by Curtis Pittman.
The model for the Three Generations service member is Chambers’ father who attended the sculpture dedication at Veterans Park.
Pittman’s Be the Light is a lit modern sculpture designed to emulate a flame and symbolize eternal light with seven spires for each branch of the military.
Sandy Springs philanthropist Sunny Park, who funded Pittman’s sculpture, discussed his experiences growing up during the Korean War and watching American soldiers die.
“This country is still the best in the world, and it will continue to be,” Park said. “How did it happen? Veterans.”
The ceremony and sculpture unveiling at Veterans Park concluded after Park, his daughter and grandchildren cut the ribbon on “Be the Light.”
“Freedom is so important,” Park said. “I’d rather die than not have freedom because I experienced it.”
