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GREENSBORO — At the conclusion of Sunday's Veterans Day ceremony at Country Park, Carol Fenton talked proudly of her late father, Richard T. Lemon Sr., a firefighter and parachute packer in the U.S. Navy.

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But Lemon, who was transferred off the USS Arizona just six months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, never spoke much about his military experiences.

"He was just glad to be here and have three lovely children," Fenton said as her 5-year-old son, Rylan, traipsed around a monument in the park.

But Fenton is doing plenty of talking to Rylan about her father's sacrifices for his country, and she used the Guilford County Veterans Memorial to do so. She pointed out pictures of Navy vessels to give her son a sense of what her father's life was like during World War II.

Veterans, their families and other members of the community came together at the park again this year in honor of Veterans Day. The ceremony is organized annually by the Greensboro Black Cap Veterans, a group that meets regularly to share military experiences.

"Their presence should not be lost or forgotten," said Capt. Dan Hinkle, a U.S. Navy veteran

The nation lives on because veterans did their duty, said Army Air Force veteran Ned Harrison, a part-time columnist for the News & Record. He called by name local heroes who braved wars to pave the way for freedom. But those in attendance also kept in mind the men and women currently serving who have helped keep the peace in recent years.

"The thing that has amazed me ... they are so much better-trained, better-equipped, and have that same commitment to service," said U.S. Marine Corps veteran Doug Galyon.

Albert Lochra, an Army Air Force veteran, thinks events in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to people thinking more about veterans. He said he's heard more people talking about veterans this year than he has in a long time.

"I believe more people have caught on to it lately," Lochra said.

This year's event was bittersweet for the Black Cap Veterans because it was their first without founder Steve Millikin, who died Oct. 29. Harrison said Millikin was the "heart and soul of the Black Caps."

"His drive, his intensity, his determination to give a voice to the veterans of this community made it possible," he said.

Hinkle's voice quivered as he read a poem in tribute to Millikin. He said that the author's name was unknown but that the poem was read at military funerals in Randolph County. Hinkle revised it for Sunday's event.

"Steve was a great guy," Hinkle said.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, ext. 126, or jodavis@news-record.com