Wally Staples, a regular speaker at ceremonies of American Legion Post 54 of Wiscasset, brought a rock with him to Tuesday’s Veterans Day ceremony on the municipal building lawn. It came from his land in Woolwich. His wife wrote on it with permanent marker, “Andrew Small.”

Small, 19, died in 2006 while serving in Afghanistan. Staples spoke at Small’s service at Wiscasset Community Center and has continued to memorialize him and other servicemen and women in his remarks at Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances. This year, several Mainers put soldiers’ names on rocks to be taken to Mount Katahdin on Tuesday, Staples said. But he had the service to speak at, so he took the rock there.

A rock is strong like a soldier and is firm like a soldier is in his commitment to serve, Staples said in an interview after the ceremony. During the ceremony, he held the rock as he spoke, then placed it on the memorial bench in front of the memorial wall.

He called on the approximately 40 attendees to be grateful for a free America.

“Freedom isn’t free. It costs,” he added, before stepping forward with the rock to place it on the bench.

Legion members honored Staples at Tuesday’s ceremony. Post Commander William Cossette Jr. handed him a certificate of appreciation for the help he has given the post.

“He never lets us down,” Cossette said.

Also Tuesday, Cossette brought up Wiscasset selectmen’s decision to pick Post 54 for a “Spirit of America” award, in honor of the post’s project to get American flags mounted on utility poles in town.

“It’s quite an honor and it meant a lot to us to get that award,” he told attendees.

When he found out about it, Cossette said later, “I just about fell over backward. We put a lot of work in putting those flags up,” with more $7,000 in donations, he said.