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The couple behind Rock Island’s Veterans Day ceremony

P.J. and Donna Hymes have missed just one Veterans Day ceremony in Rock Island, Illinois the past two decades.

P.J. and Donna Hymes have missed just one Veterans Day ceremony in Rock Island, Illinois the past two decades, and with good reason.

"I had pneumonia," P.J. Hymes, a Vietnam veteran, said.

Rain, shine, sleet or snow, P.J. and his wife organize the Veterans Day tribute outside the Rock Island County Courthouse.

"This is my family.  These veterans here today are my family. The veterans that went before us are our family," he said as a tear trickled down his cheek.

Only a handful of veterans and civilians attended the 11 a.m. service, unlike the crowds on Arsenal Island later in the day.

But, the couple says, that's okay.

"These are people we don't forget. These people, the veterans on the wall. They are the reason we're here today," Hymes said.

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