DECATUR -- About 50 people, many of them World War II veterans, endured a winter chill and whipping wind to gather in front of the Barnes Citizen Building at an event honoring American soldiers on Saturday morning.

After speeches from Decatur Mayor Paul Osborne and American Legion Post 105 Commander Dave Freyling, the Macon County Veterans Honor Guard presented a dramatic program that was highlighted by the unfurling of a six-story long flag that remained on display on the face of the building the rest of the day.

The building's owner, Charles Barnes, said he started hosting a Veterans Day event in front of his property shortly after he purchased the building in 1999. He said he had learned Decatur had once held parades to honor veterans on the holiday but had discontinued them.

So he started the annual Veterans Day celebration, now in its eighth year, featuring the 60-foot-wide and 30-foot-high flag as a way for Decatur residents to honor people who have served or are serving in the military.

"I just thought there was something more that we could do for the veterans, and I came up with this just to have a gathering at the official time of the Armistice," Barnes said.

In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, World War I came to close with the signing of a truce, and people have been celebrating Armistice Day -- now Veterans Day -- ever since.

Although most soldiers who fought in that conflict have been dead for several years, Osborne said ceremonies like the one Saturday take on a special significance during times of war.

Osborne said seeing people attending and participating in services to honor veterans is important during uncertain times for people with family fighting abroad. Osborne's son, Craig, is a lieutenant colonel in the Army and stationed in Baghdad, Iraq.

"I think it's comforting to family members and to those who have served that their sacrifices are appreciated and remembered," the mayor said.

But Freyling, who is also chairman of the Macon County Veterans Commission, said after the ceremony he was a little disappointed with the turnout and hoped that society could become more patriotic.

"I really thought that maybe the parents could bring the children out and see exactly what it's all about," Freyling said. "My father did that for me, and that's how children learn."