Pastor David Schorejs of First Baptist Church of Apopka began his Veterans Day remarks by reading a text message he received before the ceremony from Retired Lt. Col. Ted Probert.
The message reflected on Veterans Day as a time to honor U.S. veterans and their families for their sacrifices, noting that their dedication extends beyond their enlistment to serve and inspire future generations.
The text reminded Schorejs that Veterans Day should be a moment for the community to come together to thank all service members. However, he noted the nation’s current division, a dynamic he first noticed while in the military, where different branches competed when they should have been comrades in arms.
“But now what I watch is, we have Democrats against the Republicans, and we have, unfortunately, No Kings against Turning Point USA,” he said. “I could go down the list, and I always wondered what it would take for us to be one, one nation under God, one nation in the God that we trust, or say that we trust.”
Schorejs was the keynote speaker at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 10147 annual Veterans Day ceremony, held Tuesday at Kit Land Nelson Park. The event included prayer, a flag salute, and Mayor Bryan Nelson reading a proclamation.
“Whereas we as a nation will forever be in debt to the veterans that have served to protect us from harm, today we honor these men and women that have fought to protect the ideals that are the foundation of our country,” the city proclamation stated.
City commissioners Nadia Anderson and Nick Nesta, Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez, and state Rep. Doug Bankson all attended the event.
Alice Boria of the VFW Post 10147 Ladies Auxiliary read a poem commemorating the day.
The ceremony concluded with a commemoration for each of the six U.S. military branches. Afterward, the public was welcomed to lunch served at the VFW Building/Apopka Community Center.
Schorejs shared that he grew up in a military family, with his father, brother and sister serving in the Army. He planned to “break tradition” by enlisting in the Air Force but was rejected due to two DUIs before age 19. The Marine Corps accepted him instead
In 1981, he became a Christian, and his life changed. Since then, he noted that when he is aligned with God’s will, “there’s a oneness with anybody I come in contact with.”
“So my prayer today is that all of us would find ourselves yearning to be in the center of God’s will, because if we are, this nation would be unstoppable in making a difference in the world that we live in, and that’s truly what we all want,” he said.
Schorejs also shared a 2022 national study on veteran suicide rates, which found that 18 veterans commit suicide every day.
“For some reason, they don’t recognize the value that they brought to this great country or see a purpose in going forward,” Schorejs said. “Again, my prayer is this: that we don’t just recognize our veterans once a year, but that we would remember them and honor them and encourage them and help them be reminded that what they did was significant beyond anything that you and I can ever imagine, and trust that God will use that in a mighty way.”
Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1918, marking the end of World War I. In 1954, the U.S. Congress renamed it Veterans Day to honor all who had served in the nation’s armed forces.