CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we as Americans take a pause to come together to honor those who serve our country.
Veterans Day marks the moment World War I officially came to an end on November 11, 1918, and now serves as a time to honor those who have fought for this country in all foreign wars.
Parades and events across the Mountain State filled up the day for Veterans Day on Monday. 
In Charleston, the John Brawley Post 20 of the American Legion has been holding their annual parade for around 80 years. It got underway at the 11th hour.
A number of local American Legions and VFWs took part in this year’s Veterans Parade in Charleston.
A 26-year veteran of the U.S. Navy Tim Stern was there with his VFW post, Post 3466 out of South Charleston. He said while his post has been attending this parade for a number of years, Monday marked his first time taking part in it.
Stern said it was breathtaking to see all of this support for veterans coming together in one place.
“Since retiring and coming back to West Virginia, this place has been the support of so many veterans, and it’s nice to come out and be recognized for what we did,” Stern told MetroNews.
Several high school marching bands and JROTCs around the area were also taking part in the parade Monday.
Retired Army Chaplain Bruce Reed was doing the invocation and benediction a part of Monday’s ceremony following the parade at Haddad Riverfront Park.
He said it was particularly amazing to see all of the high school students that are involved with the event, because they are the ones vets are passing the torch on to next to serve the nation.
“I think it gives them a sense of purpose, but also lets them know what value their nation is, and sometimes what kind of sacrifices they need to make or will be asked to make for their nation,” said Reed.
Stern said Veterans Day events like this bring the much-needed awareness to everyone, however, of the sacrifices that go into serving this country.
“There’s just so many people who aren’t aware of what a VFW is, a Veteran of Foreign Wars, and we need people to come out and say ‘I want to be a part of that,” Stern said.
Reed said along with serving his 25-year military stint in the Army, he also served in the West Virginia National Guard in Charleston for a few of those years as Head of Family Programs.
He said this enabled him to also see the other side of the coin from the perspective of the families when their soldiers would be deployed overseas and upon their return. Reed said from that perspective, more than anything, is when he saw the value in serving a foreign war for the nation, and agreed, we need more people to see that value.
“We missed that, we don’t honor it enough, we don’t treat it with the respect it deserves,” Reed said. “I think that’s a part of what goes on in the military, you learn that respect for yourself, self-sacrifice, your honor, your duty, those things.”
But, as statistics show, West Virginia having the highest number of people per capita involved in the military than any other state, Reed said, we do a pretty good job with recognizing and honoring the value of veterans, regardless.
Stern added that to receive such recognition like this often leaves him at a loss for words because of the magnitude it entailed.
“It’s really humbling,” Stern said. “When people say thank you for your service I’ve found it’s hard to respond.”
The parade stepped off along the Kanawha Boulevard and circled downtown and back.