Most of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation joined Gov. Kelly Ayotte on Tuesday morning at the New Hampshire Veterans Home to thank all who served in the armed forces. Later, they were all serenaded by a residents’ choir.
Commandant Kim MacKay called the governor “a strong advocate” and friend of the Veterans Home in Tilton.
Ayotte opened her remarks by pointing out that the United States is a great countrydirectly because of the people she was addressing and those men and women on active duty.
“You are the heroes,” Ayotte told a packed Town Hall auditorium at the home, adding, however, that the families of members of the armed forces are very important, too.
Ayotte said she is the spouse of a retired Air Force A-10 pilot and the mother of a daughter enrolled in the Air Force Academy.
In these occasionally divisive times, veterans “show us the way,” said Ayotte, “and you show us what unity means.”
What unites Americans, she continued, is far greater “than what divides us.”
As governor, Ayotte pledged to serve the needs of veterans, saying, “We are here to serve you because you have served us.”
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan said veterans are often people who serve the country both while in the military and after they leave it.
A veteran, she said, is someone who never stops serving something larger than him- or herself and is also someone who can help restore another person’s faith.
U.S Rep. Chris Pappas said veterans helped make New Hampshire the greatest of states and the United States into the greatest of countries.
He said New Hampshire “shows up and steps up” for its veterans and will continue to do so.
“We owe you a debt that we can never repay,” said Pappas, “but we gotta try.”
U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, who is a Navy veteran, said that no one more than a veteran understands “that freedom isn’t free.”
Chris Scott, on behalf of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, said the senator was happy to be present in spirit with the veterans, commending them for their strength, steadfastness and faith.
Before her remarks, Ayotte declared Tuesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day 2025 in the Granite State, telling the crowd that she enjoyed that portion of her duties the best.
Currently, the home has 150 residents, 10 of whom are women, according to MacKay. She said the Army is the most well-represented military branch there, but there are also veterans from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard.
The residents, many of whom were in attendance for the observance, range in age from 65 to 101.
After the speakers program concluded, the “Company Beat,” which is made up of Veterans Home residents and staff, performed “God Bless America” and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.”
The observance concluded with Ellysia Zuchowski, 10, of Laconia, playing taps, after which the lawmakers posed for photos with her.
