Right in front of his eyes, Coal Grove resident Everett Dillow saw too many Americans lose their children in World War II.

"It was hell on Earth," he said. "When you're out there, you don't know if you'll be living by the time it comes dark. Sometimes, you just hoped it killed you outright before you lost an arm or leg."

He swore he would never have any children of his own because he did not want to see his own die that way. He stayed true to his word.

"I saw boys who were hurt begging for their mothers," he said. "It takes your heart out of you."

Lawrence County residents both young and old remembered the struggles and sacrifices of those who have served in the armed forces throughout the day Tuesday with ceremonies at schools, cemeteries and various other locations.

Late Tuesday morning, VFW Post 8850 conducted a flag-raising ceremony at Woodland Cemetery with Defiance resident Cliff Bauer, junior vice commander for the Ohio VFW as guest speaker.

"The ones lying in that cemetery fought for our freedom," said Post Commander Floyd Kidd. "I've got four uncles lying up there. We can now walk down the streets without someone taking a shot at us."

Kidd is a veteran of the Korean Conflict, and he rarely discusses his experiences because he wants what happened in Korea to stay there, he said.

"They called a police action, but a lot of policemen got killed," Kidd said.

Dillow's uncle, Homer Dawson, was the first World War I casualty from Ohio, and the Dawson-Bryant school district bears his name. While he served in the second, he thought he would follow in his uncle's fatal footsteps. Dillow was wounded three times before being sent home and still experiences pain in his ankles from a shrapnel wound.

He will never forget the actions of another wounded comrade. While storming Utah Beach, the man tried to shoot a German soldier, but the German fired first, blowing off the man's fingers.

"He said, 'That S.O.B. took my hand off,'" Dillow said. "He opened his rifle up and took the man's watch afterward."

While some memories of fellow veterans are literally unspeakable, Ironton resident George Bruce, an Air Force gunner pilot, has some lighthearted memories of World War II. Besides Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart being his captain, he remembers an unexpected visitor that caused a bit of humorous chaos on the plane.

"When we were in Brazil, this guy brought in a whole stalk of bananas he bought," Bruce said. "It had a monkey in it. That darn monkey bit everyone in the place but me."

Early in the afternoon, children, most of them not even old enough to remember Operation Desert Storm, from Ironton Junior High gathered for a Veteran's Day program presented by the seventh grade music and eighth grade performing arts classes.

"They can really relate to this, because right now, they have all experienced a war," said Erin Sowards, junior high music teacher.

Eighth grader Cory McKnight said he really never watched the news until the war began in March. His step-uncle, Kris Wilson is not only a substitute teacher in the Ironton district, but is also a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"The war was kind of scary," McKnight said. "I was thinking they may think they have the right to retaliate, and I was scared of terrorist attacks and all that."

During the program, Wilson recalled being in the same auditorium seats years ago when his school was visited by Vietnam veteran Charles Meadows, who lost his leg in that war. Just as he later joined the military, many of those students would eventually do the same.

"Statistics show that 30 percent of you will join the military," Wilson said. "Look to your left, your right, behind you and to your back. One of those people may join the military and go to places where they will put their lives at risk to preserve our freedom.'

"These days you wake up in the morning, you eat breakfast, get dressed, go to school or work. … You go to football games, basketball games, the movies or church. On September 11, 2001, all of these things were infringed upon. Our freedoms were infringed upon. We watched those two buildings collapse, and for a brief period, the whole world stopped. In other countries, this happens every day. Without the freedoms that we have, the same thing would happen here."

U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Brian Payne, 21, was introduced by his eighth grade nephew Michael as Michael's hero. Although he joined the military before Sept. 11, 2001, being in the military gave being in the military a whole meaning for him. Payne served in Kuwait during the recent war with Iraq.

"I'm a veteran of a foreign war, and I'm only 21," Payne said. "We have a whole new generation of veterans now. They're getting younger and younger."