Norman's annual Veterans Day ceremony drew residents to Reaves Park on Sunday, Nov. 8, where a granite memorial bearing the names of veterans with ties to Cleveland County anchored the gathering.

Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman and retired Master Sgt. Ernie Martin, former post commander of American Legion Post 88, addressed the crowd at the site, which once served as part of the Naval Air Technical Training Center, according to the Norman Transcript.

The Cleveland County Veterans Memorial features an eagle perched atop a five-sided granite obelisk. Names of county veterans who died while serving are engraved on the obelisk. Names of those who have served are engraved on surrounding granite tablets.

Holman spoke about Norman's military roots. During World War II, the U.S. Navy built training facilities in Norman, including what residents called North Base and South Base. North Base sat where Max Westheimer Airport stands. South Base was just south of the University of Oklahoma campus. Thousands trained there before the bases closed after the war, briefly reopening during the Korean War.

Martin delivered the keynote dressed in colonial military wear. His family has been in the country since the 1720s, the Transcript reported, with members who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and other conflicts.

He told the crowd the nation has been tested many times and that people have continued to fight to keep it "the best nation in the world."

Martin said the country's history is being forgotten and fewer people take pride in the nation. He urged attendees to consider what their freedoms mean to them and to the public.

The Norman Police Department honor guard participated in the ceremony. Avery Hartley sang the national anthem, and the Lexington High School Southern Accents performed.

One attendee used a pencil to transfer a family member's name from the memorial onto paper. Holman pointed to a family member's name on the memorial during the event.

The ceremony fell during a week of veterans recognition across Cleveland County. The Cleveland County Courthouse glowed green Nov. 4 through Nov. 11 as part of Operation Green Light for Veterans, a nationwide effort led by the National Association of Counties. Brandon Davis, veteran benefits coordinator for Cleveland County, said the county works to connect its more than 21,500 veterans with resources and services, according to the Journal Record.

This is the fifth year Cleveland County has participated in Operation Green Light.