Nearly 100 people gathered Saturday morning at the Boone County Courthouse to honor veterans and show support for law enforcement officers.
The “Back the Flag, Back the Blue” rally came in the wake of at least a month of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Columbia and across the country protesting racism and police brutality.
“With the Fourth of July, it’s a great time to thank our veterans for the freedoms that we enjoy,” said John Martin, organizer of the rally. “But then also, we really wanted to show support for our law enforcement.”
At 9:30 a.m., the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 280 presented the U.S. flag, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the national anthem.
Phil Dooley, a veteran, delivered a speech to the crowd honoring fellow veterans.
“One thing that we should remember, every Memorial Day, every Fourth of July, is to pause to meditate, reflect on the thought that not everyone made it back home,” he said.
“Remember the memorials that we have here on the courthouse, remember the memorial that is no longer here at the courthouse from Desert Storm, remember they symbolize those who did not make it back home,” Dooley said.
Following a moment of silence honoring those who had died during a war, Martin took his place to honor law enforcement officers.
“I’m thankful for the blue because of their professionalism,” Martin said. “I want to say thank you for their sacrifice. I want to honor fallen police and their families.”
He elaborated on the reasons law enforcement officers are so important: “We want legal process. We don’t want mob rule. We want process of justice to lead our work. We believe that all life matters.”
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