HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – The City of Hattiesburg honored veterans on Friday, November 10.

The Hattiesburg Veterans Committee held its 41st annual Veterans Day Ceremony. Past and present recipients of the Hattiesburg Veteran of Year Award were honored during the ceremony.

Many of them were in attendance, including 2023 Veteran of the Year Master Sgt. Rex Hasty. He urged the audience to not forget the sacrifice veterans made for the country.

“I just don’t want us to forget our veterans. The World War I vets are gone. Almost all World War II vets are gone. We’re working on the Korean and Vietnam War veterans now. They’re going fast. And these young veterans that have come back from Iraq, and we are possibly looking at getting involved in another war again. We’ve got to take care of these guys, it’s really important,” Hasty said.

Before the ceremony, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Air Force ROTC held a 24-hour vigil at Veterans Memorial Park.