Providence Journal photo / G. Wayne Miller
Operation Stand Down founder Tony DeQuattro with Gold Star mothers at a Veterans Day observance Monday.
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- It may have been one of the most divisive elections in American history, but last week's balloting was peaceful. And the women and men who bear arms for their country can take credit, Operation Stand Down Rhode Island executive director Erik Wallin said at a Veterans Day observance Monday.
"None of us went to the polls under a volley of bullets," Wallin said. "Nobody voted with M-16s outside the doors threatening us, or with the echo of mortars in the background. And each and every one of us has just one group of people to thank for that: and that is the veterans of the United States military."
More than 200 attended the Women Warriors lunch at Quidnessett Country Club. Proceeds benefit Operation Stand Down, the Johnston-based organization which serves veterans, and its Holly Charette House.