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Hometown Of Armalite Rifles Commemorates Veterans Day 11-11-11
Veterans Day 2011 In Geneseo, Illinois

Hometown Of Armalite Rifles Commemorates Veterans Day 11-11-11

ArmaLite Inc

Geneseo, IL – -(Ammoland.com)- Every year, Veterans Day is much the same in Geneseo: the volunteers gather before dawn to unfurl and set up hundreds of flags in the city park.

Each flag honors a veteran from this tiny town.

The number of flags grows every year. How can there be so many in such a small place?

The woman’s club is up early too, setting up hot coffee and pastries for the volunteers a block from the park at the VFW. The VFW members stand at attention as the noon siren shrieks. The siren is very close and very loud.

The veterans wait for the siren to fade and fire a 21 gun salute. A close-cropped man surely still in his 20’s stops a rusty car filled with children. He stands in the middle of the street with a stiff salute. No one honks at the stop to traffic. There are a lot of tears, none are suppressed.

This year the routine of long years differs slightly. After the salute, the small, mostly elderly crowd hurries into the hall for lunch. Usually they stay gathered on the sidewalk visiting. But this year is cold and windy.

At the park, the flags flying since dawn are now snapping. They seem louder than the wind itself. A small group, they look like family, circles a single flag. They’re holding hands. The words, “home soon,” come on the wind. The rest is blown away. So goes 11-11-11 in Geneseo, Illinois.

Veterans Day 2011 In Geneseo, Illinois

Veterans Day 2011 In Geneseo, Illinois

Veterans Day 2011 In Geneseo, Illinois

Veterans Day 2011 In Geneseo, Illinois

About:
ArmaLite has one of the broadest product lines in the firearms industry. We manufacture and sell semiautomatic rifles in a variety of calibers including 5.56mm and 7.62mm, long range super-accurate bolt action rifles in calibers including .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Lapua, and 50 BMG, and classic 9mm pistols.Visit: www.armalite.com

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Armalite & Geneseo, Illinois Marks Veterans Day 2010

Armalite & Geneseo, Illinois Marks Veterans Day 2010

ArmaLite Inc

Geneseo, IL – -(Ammoland.com)- Geneseo, Illinois the home town of Armalite Arms Inc,  is quite small… just over 6,000 people live here.

But, each year, this small town makes a big city effort to mark Veterans Day and to honor our local veterans. Just after dawn, volunteers put out nearly 650 flags in the city park. Each flag is in memory of a local veteran. This year there are seven new flags. For the last several years, bad weather has prevented a full display of these honored flags. This year all the flags were put on display.

When their task is done, there is hot coffee and pastries waiting for the volunteers at the nearby VFW post. The ladies of the Geneseo Women’s Club are up before dawn to make sure the treats are ready.

As the flags quietly mark the day, ceremonies are held inside the VFW post. Prayers are said, there is a guest speaker and a light lunch. Outside the post, saluting gunfire comes from uniformed vets.

By late afternoon the flags are taken down, rolled up and put in special cases to be stored away. With the luck of more good weather, the flags will re-appear on Memorial Day.

Armalite & Geneseo, Illinois Marks Veterans Day 2010

AR STANDS FOR ARMALITE

About:
ArmaLite has one of the broadest product lines in the firearms industry. We manufacture and sell semiautomatic rifles in a variety of calibers including 5.56mm and 7.62mm, long range super-accurate bolt action rifles in calibers including .308 Winchester, 300 Winchester, 338 Lapua, and 50 BMG, and classic 9mm pistols. Visit: www.armalite.com

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