Sanford honors veterans with ceremony, free film screening

Sanford paused Wednesday to honor the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces during a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park.Sanford Police closed off the area near Lake Monroe as the community gathered to celebrate local service members. The keynote address was delivered by Vanessa Thomas, the state women veterans’ coordinator at the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs.The ceremony included a special recognition of service for Sanford resident Edna Cross Burton, who passed away in 1956. She served with the historic 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II.Burton’s all-Black, all-female unit kept mail moving for troops during the war. The battalion was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022 and was later immortalized in a feature film by director Tyler Perry.Perry’s World War II drama, “The Six Triple Eight,” will be shown free of charge Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Ritz Theater in Sanford.