Members of American Legion Allen O. Delke Post 16 joined the congregation of Slatington Baptist Church on Sunday to honor its members who had passed on. The annual Veterans Day program is held at different churches each year.

Legion members presented the United States and American Legion flags. The Rev. James Levan said the service would be patriotic for various reasons.He said, "We have these friends with us. If we lean the flag against the wall it may fall, so we put it in a stand and it holds fast. The apostle Paul said people should stand firm. We come to November with thanksgiving. We don't have to be shaky but can stand firm."Levan said God shows you to believe in the truth and being chosen by God often means "I am going to heaven," but Paul said we were also to do good here on Earth.He told the story of a nurse who rescued 2,500 babies and young children during the war even though she could have said she did not want to get involved.Levan read from the preview of a book of prophecy called "The Apathy of America." It said democracy is temporary because voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. The average age for a democracy is 200 years - the United States has 240 years. The steps are bondage to spiritual faith, to great courage, to liberty, to abundance, to complacency, to apathy to dependency and back to bondage.In prayer he said, "We thank you for the veterans who have defended us in wartime and peacetime." "God Bless America" was sung.Dennis Zeigler, chairman of the committee, said the American Legion is made of the Legion Riders, Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary in addition to the Legion. He said the Sons had recently lost its commander, Randy Siegley."On this day, Veterans Day, we are commemorating the services of veterans of all wars. We remember how men and woman set aside their civilian pursuits to serve their nation's cause, defending the freedom of mankind and preserving our precious American heritage. … In time of peace we can use the ennobling virtues of war and put behind us its ugliness and suffering. In peace we shall go forward together to scale new heights of achievement in unity of purpose, in sacrifice for the common good, in tolerance for those of different faiths and creeds, in bravery to fight for social and economic gains and in the discipline of good citizenship. We shall move forward in the sight of God as a strong nation in a peaceful world."Commander George Burke read the names of deceased auxiliary members and Judy Burke placed a poppy on a red, white and blue wreath as a bell tolled in the member's name.Judy Burke read the names of Legionnaires and listed their branch of military service while Burke placed poppies on the wreath and the bell tolled.The Slatington Veterans' Memorial Committee will be dedicated Friday in the Slatington Memorial Park. In case of rain it will move to St. John's United Church of Christ next to the park. The dedication will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 11- the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - the date and timing of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I.