THE CENTERPIECE OF THE CITY’S Veterans’ Day observances this week was the dedication of a monument and a Magnolia Virginia tree to the women who served and sacrificed in the U.S. Armed Forces. The dedication ceremony featured a number of speakers, including Veterans Services Officer Ryan McLane and women veterans from World War II through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. One of the speakers, Melrose’s Esther Parsons, was a second lieutenant in the Second World War, where she worked as a nurse. (Donna Larsson Photos)