The annual Double Ten National Day ceremonies today saw members of the public come out to Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei to pay tribute to Taiwan''s men and women serving in uniform. This year''s festivities also helped celebrate the efforts of the nation''s Olympic medal-winning athletes, who were welcomed to generous acclaim. It was all part of this year''s ceremony theme, "Taiwan is fortunate to have you." A cross-service honor guard emphatically opened the festivities, spinning their rifles with perfect precision.A military marching band then performed an adaptation of the theme from the 2001 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan. It was a way of highlighting the efforts of the nation’s soldiers and athletes to bring glory to Taiwan.A line of helicopters from the National Airborne Service Corps even flew over the stage in front of the Presidential Office, towing banners with slogans paying tribute to Taiwan’s men and women in uniform.A tribute to the nation’s medal-winners in the Rio Olympics rounded off the ceremony, with weightlifters Hsu Shu-ching and Kuo Hsing-chun joining the three members of the women’s archery team, Tan Ya-ting, Le Chien-ying and Lin Shih-chia.This year’s inclusion of disaster-response personnel and Olympic athletes in the Double Ten National Day celebrations represented a lively departure from the solemn ceremonies of years past.