By Alaina Denean Deshazo | The Selma Times-Journal

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the community came together to honor veterans, both local and across the world.

“It means a lot just to see the amount of people we have here showing respect for us,” said Ron Howell, U.S. Army 82nd airborne and Purple Heart recipient who fought in the Vietnam War. “It really means a lot to us.”

World War I ended on Nov. 11, 1918, creating Armistice Day and eventually Veterans Day.

The Selma American Legion Post 20 has been putting on the Veterans Day program at Memorial Stadium for years, and each November the community comes out to show their support and recognize those veterans in the county.

“It took me 20 or 40 years before I started showing what I’ve done and what I went through. It’s very emotional for me here,” Howell said. “It warms my heart. It makes me feel good.”

During the ceremony, Selma Mayor Darrio Melton read a proclamation declaring the day also be known as James Franklin “Sunshine” Tennimon day in honor of the late Tennimon.

Tennimon served four years in the Air Force and the Alabama National Guard for 25 years. He was deployed in Desert Storm/Shield in 1990. He also served in many roles at the American Legion Thomas Mackin Post 20.

“To all our veterans and families … on behalf of the city, we say thank you, Melton said. “Now for it be resolved by the Mayor and city council of Selma, Alabama, that Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2016, also be known as James “Sunshine” Tennimon day.”

The Southside High School Air Force Jr. ROTC was on hand to present the colors and perform a flag folding ceremony.

Steve Ruiz, retired Lt. Col. Air Force and the Air Force Jr. ROTC instructor at Southside, said bringing his cadets to the program is always an honor and a learning experience for the students.

“A lot of these veterans, a lot of these people here today, have served decades ago in conflicts that these children can only read about in a history book. What this allows these children to see is live human beings that have experienced WWII, that have experienced the Korean War and Vietnam War,” Ruiz said. “It allows them to see that OK, these people sacrificed. [The students] can’t experience the sacrifice, but they know that they have sacrificed for them.”

Guest speaker Col. Thad Mauldin spoke highly of the veterans and thanked them and the community for attending the program.

“As I look back at my military career and the time since I retired, I know that the reason the United States has stayed strong, is because of the dedication and devotion of its veterans,” Mauldin said. “Veterans come in all shapes and sizes, young and old, rich and poor, black and white and nearly every category in between. They are men and women who served, and still serve America.”