CORNING, N.Y. (WENY) -- According to a 2020 U.S. Census Bureau Survey, more than 41 million Americans have served in the military throughout American history, with more than 16 million people serving in World War II alone. With Veterans Day on Saturday, Corning Community College hosted a 'Celebrate Veterans Day' event to honor veterans and those who continue to serve.

"We're celebrating Veterans Day here at Corning Community College. We have a mix of groups from all over the community. [We have] some of our local veterans, some service providers, and organizations that support our veterans. [It's] an opportunity to kind of celebrate, honor, [and] hear from our veterans here in the community," said CCC's Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Babatunde Ayanfodun.

After everyone ate lunch, veterans shared their experiences during their service and non-vets were able to talk about the impact veterans had on their lives.

U.S. Navy veteran Dan Nightingale talked about one night in 1986 when he was in the middle of doing maintenance on the flight deck. He said it was pitch black and hard to see where anything was until a stranger who was driving an aircraft tractor helped him.

"Out of nowhere, his headlights lit up the entire area around where I was. I thought initially it was only going to last a minute or so, but he stayed 20-25 minutes while I worked. [He] never approached me, never said a word to me, probably never got within 100 yards [of me]," said Nightingale.

Nightingale said after it happened, the two never met. He said as he transitioned into civilian life, he realized everyone has an opportunity to be a "flashlight."

"We don't have to do anything glorious or grand or huge; just look for somebody that needs a little bit of light in the dark and be that," said Nightingale.

U.S. Army Sergeant Brian McCord said people don't sign up to serve for the recognition, they do it to make a difference.

"You do it because it's within you...there's a lot of guys walking around here, but if you see them, [you should] give thanks. I tell veterans from Vietnam or [whichever war] thank [you] for your service because they paved the way for us to be able to do what we had to do," said Sgt. McCord.

Sgt. McCord said while vets don't do it for the recognition, they still appreciate being told thank you for their service. He also mentioned his friend Corporal Jimmy Little who was a member of his 10th Mountain Unit.

"We deployed together. He was the jokester. He kept all our spirits up, but you never really understand what a person's going through. We all talked about stuff like that, but when he came back from out of deployment, things got a little too hard for him and he took his own life," said Sgt. McCord.

Sgt. McCord said he wants everyone to remember him. He also said his family and friends still care about him. Sgt. McCord said it takes a special person to go to war, so it's important to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

"It takes a special person to join the military. For somebody to sacrifice their time, to go out there and do what we had to do...you've just got to appreciate them," said Sgt. McCord.

WENY News would like to thank every veteran or active-duty military for their service.