Respect and reverence will be on full display Wednesday in honor of Veterans Day.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Brian Bowman Post 1431 will host the Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Park on South Washington Street.
Mayor Todd Barton will issue a proclamation, followed by guest speakers Michelle Borden of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Joe Ellis, this year’s parade grand marshal. Ellis is a Vietnam veteran and retired Montgomery County Veterans Service Officer.
Members of the VFW will then travel to the Montgomery County Courthouse for the opening ceremony, which includes the playing of the National Anthem, an opening prayer by Mike Whitaker, a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument on the corner of Main and Washington streets and a moment of silence and rendering of honors by David Varney. The ceremony will be followed by a three-volley rifle salute and the playing of Taps by the Byron Cox Post 72 Honor Guard.
Barton and Borden will read their proclamations and there will be a keynote address delivered by LTC (Ret) Matthew Mount, who has ties to Crawfordsville. Over the decades, he served extensively in the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve with units in Crawfordsville, Kempton, Indianapolis and Lafayette, including an assignment as a mobilization officer during Operation Desert Storm.
Organizers will acknowledge Ellis, the grand marshal, and give special recognition to honored veteran Gary Bell.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the fifth annual Veterans Day Parade will begin at approximately 12:30 p.m.
This year’s parade route will start from the staging areas on East Main Street in the vicinity of the post office and travel west along Main Street toward Washington Street/US 231 and then turn left and travel south to Pike Street. Once at Pike Street the parade entries will turn left and then disperse.
There are more than 40 entries in this year’s parade, and include a number of military units, police and fire services, local business and service organizations and high school marching bands.
Retired Brigadier General Wayne Black of Crawfordsville, who is a Indiana National Guard veteran who served over 23 years in the Army National Guard and 11 years on active duty, will be the emcee.
Judging the parade entries will be Scott Feller, Wabash College president, Montgomery Superior Court Judge Heather Barajas and Brett Cating, Montgomery County Councilman.
Following the parade will be a gathering of gratitude meal served at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post for all veterans and parade participants.
Veterans To Know
Joe Ellis
Specialist 5 Joseph “Joe” Ellis was born in Crawfordsville on Sept. 17, 1948, to Alma Irene Zahn and Donald Martin Staley. His father passed when he was seven years old and his mother remarried SSG Warren C. Ellis a few years later, who adopted him and changed his name to Joseph M. Ellis. Joe’s step-father was a World War II veteran who served with 101st Airborne and jumped into Normandy on D-Day. He later entered the Air Force when it became a branch. As a child Joe traveled with his parents to several US states and Okinawa, Japan. When his step-father retired in 1964, he returned to Kentland, where he graduated from A. J. Kent High School in 1966.
He attended Indiana State University for a year but did not return due to his step-father’s health condition. He was drafted in 1968 as a Movement Control Specialist and reported to Fort Campbell, Kentucky for basic training and later reported to Fort Eustis, Virginia for advanced individual training. He was then sent to Vietnam where he served 28 1/2 months. He was assigned to Cam Ranh Bay — Qui Nhon — Long My east side of Qui Nhon. He coordinated petroleum convoys resupplying the central highlands. His military honors and awards include the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster and Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster.
Upon returning from Vietnam, he met and married the love of his life, Sandra K. Loveless-Ellis of New Market in June 1972. They have two sons, Michael and Mark and two grandchildren, Mary Emma and Emerson.
In his civilian career, Joe spent more than 37 years in the hardware business, traveling to several states and working his way through the ranks from salesman to district manager, until his retirement in 2010.
A couple of years after retirement, he went to work for the Veterans Services of Montgomery County as a VSO. He did this for 12 years until his retirement in December 2025. During this time, he also worked with Honor Flight of Greater Lafayette, helping to plan and coordinate more than 18 Honor Flights to Washington, D.C.
Joe is a proud member of New Hope Christian Church, where he is actively involved and has served as an elder for six years. He is a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veteran organizations.
Joe’s greatest desire is to thank all the veterans he has had the pleasure and good fortune to have served and met.
Gary Bell
Petty Officer 3rd Class Gary Bell was born in Greencastle on Dec. 20, 1947, to Martha Jean and Harry Bell. He comes from a military family; his father served as an Army Tech Sergeant during World War II.
Gary entered the US Navy in August of 1966 as a hospital corpsman. He attended his basic and advanced individual training at Naval Station Great Lakes in northern Chicago. He spent four years on active duty. His assignments included: Naval Hospital Key West, Camp Pendleton, Vietnam and Naval Air Station Key West.
Upon completion of basic and AIT, he reported to the Naval Hospital in Key West, Florida. He later attended combat medic training at Camp Pendleton and reported to Vietnam where he served 13 months with Delta Company, 1st Marine Division in Da Nang. During his tour in Vietnam, he was wounded in Laos and received the Purple Heart. Upon returning from Vietnam, Gary was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Key West, Florida. In addition to the Purple Heart, his military awards include: Navy Achievement Medal and several Unit Citations: Cross of Gallantry and the Presidential Unit Citation.
In October 1971, Gary married the late Vickey Bell from Crawfordsville. They have one daughter, Rhonda, and three grandsons, Preston, Gabriel and Marshall.
In his civilian career, Gary spent 20 years in the Crawfordsville Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant in 1990. He then went on to work for Nucor managing the warehouse. He retired from there after 18 years of service in 2010.
Gary is a graduate from New Ross High School, he completed some college courses at Indiana University, and he is a graduate of the Indiana Police Academy.
He is a proud member of Saint Bernards Catholic Church. He is a member of the American Legion Post 72, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1431 and Disabled American Veteran Montgomery County Chapter 103 organizations. He has held the position of Commander in each of these organizations. He was the first commander of the Disable American Veteran Montgomery County Chapter 103. Gary was instrumental in reigniting the flame to restart the annual tradition of the Veterans Day Parade in Crawfordsville. His vision was to get all the local veteran service organizations working together to honor and pay tribute to the local veterans and their families.
One of Gary’s proudest moments is helping to coordinate the appearance of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall in Crawfordsville in 2015. He takes pride in honoring and helping veterans, especially those from the Vietnam era.
LTC (Ret) Matthew Mount
Although his family roots run deep in Crawfordsville and Indianapolis, LTC (Ret) Matthew Mount was raised north of Chicago, where his father, William Mount, a 1953 Crawfordsville High School graduate, was stationed as a U.S. Army officer. In 1981, he returned to Crawfordsville to assist his family following the passing of his grandfather, Joseph Ray Mount. Aside from 12 years spent away on military assignments, Indiana has been his home ever since.
His own distinguished military career began right down the road as an ROTC cadet with the Indiana National Guard’s 3-139th Field Artillery in Crawfordsville. Over the decades, he served extensively in the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve with units in Crawfordsville, Kempton, Indianapolis and Lafayette, including an assignment as a mobilization officer during Operation Desert Storm. After a brief transition out of the Reserves in 1997, he answered the call to return to service in 2010. He deployed to Iraq with the 310th Expeditionary Command out of Indianapolis, subsequently serving on active reserve duty with the Human Resources Command at Fort Knox and as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at Vanderbilt University.
Parallel to his military service, he dedicated his civilian career to public safety. He served as a police officer with the Indianapolis Police Department, retiring in 2012 as a shift commander. His diverse law enforcement legacy included roles as a motorcycle patrolman, narcotics detective, academy instructor, and public information officer.
Upon retiring from the military in 2020, he channeled his leadership into teaching JROTC in southwest Florida. He eventually returned home to take on his current role as the Director of Army Instruction for Indianapolis Public Schools, where he proudly oversees all IPS JROTC programs.
Family remains his greatest anchor. He met his late wife, Sheila Mount, in Crawfordsville in 1981, sharing 17 wonderful years together before her tragic passing in 1999. Together, they raised five children, including three surviving sons and two beloved daughters who have since passed away. In 2000, he married his wife, Laurel Mount. Today, they reside in Fishers and are blessed with seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
