Nancy Carvalho: Why was the pledge not part of Veterans Day celebration?

My veteran husband and I attended the Veterans Day parade and memorial on Nov. 11, as we do every year. It was a beautiful day and we were happy to get together with other veterans to show our appreciation for their service. We were reminded that every one of the men and women who are now serving, and those who have served, pledged to offer their lives if necessary to defend our country.

I couldn’t believe that the pledge of allegiance was totally left out of this ceremony. It was overheard someone saying that it was not done because it might “offend someone.” Please tell me that isn’t true. I am offended that it was left out. If this is true, my fellow Americans, we have turned out the light on the statute of liberty, thrown out the warnings of our founding fathers and stamped out “freedom” in the greatest union we have ever known.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Nancy Carvalho: Why was the pledge not part of Veterans Day celebration?."