To those who call serving in the military a sacrifice, Col. Scott Vanderhoof would like to disagree.

“I don’t consider it a sacrifice,” Vanderhoof said. “An honor yes. But it is an opportunity to serve my country.”

And it is an opportunity to see firsthand what makes the United States great.

“From what I have experienced, there is no doubt in my mind that we live in the greatest country in the world,” he said. “A lot of that is true because of the many service members who fought and died to preserve the freedoms of our country. We take a lot of it for granted, the freedom and liberty. Then you get out and see those who don’t have that, those who are oppressed.”

The career Air Force officer and Coal Grove native will be one of the keynote speakers at the Veterans Memorial Service at Woodland Cemetery Sunday at 2 p.m.

Joining Vanderhoof at the speaker’s dais will be VFW past state commander Leon Johnson.

The Woodland Cemetery service is one of the mainstays of the Memorial Day weekend celebrations.

The program will also feature posting of the colors and gunnery salute by Ironton VFW Post 8850, a flag-folding ceremony by American Legion Post 433 and music by the Qualitones. The event will close with the playing of Taps by Zach Jenkins.

This will be the first time for Vanderhoof to participate in the cemetery ceremony, calling it an honor to be chosen to speak. However, as a Coal Grove native he has spent many a Memorial Day watching Ironton’s most famous parade.

“The parade is just a huge deal and for the community it is a chance for everybody to come together,” he said.

Currently Vanderhoof is the deputy director of communications at Headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va. His career as a communications officers has included deployments at Combined Task Force Operation Northern Watch, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey and Deputy Commander 458th Air Expeditionary Group, Mihail-Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Vanderhoof has received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.