Did you thank a veteran Monday? There were plenty of opportunities with Veterans Day services held all over the Platte Valley.
When I was growing up, we didn’t have assemblies for Veterans Day at the schools I attended.
Saratoga Elementary School, Saratoga Middle/High School and Encampment School all host Veterans Day assemblies.
It is a good reminder for the students that everyday people in their schools and community have served their country.
Monday was no exception as Veterans were honored at the schools and thanked by the students and teachers.
I spent six years in the U.S. Army, and even though I did not serve during what was considered war time, I did serve in countries overseas that had a reason for the military being there.
In Korea, a border divides north from south, known as the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone.
I was stationed in Seoul, but had the opportunity to go to the DMZ to see what it was like. I was able to see and take photos of Conference Row, where the Armistice Agreement was negotiated.
I had a particular interest in the Axe Murder Incident, since it happened the same year I graduated from high school, 1976.
Cpt. Arthur Bonifas and 1st Lt. Mark Barrett were part of a detail that attempted to trim a poplar tree that was blocking the view to a building in the Joint Security Area. Bonifas was bludgeoned to death and Barrett was killed with an axe. I felt like I was truly seeing a part of history, when I saw what remains of that tree.
I remember how somber it was as I looked over to the North Korean side. It reminded me of why I was there and serving in the U.S. Army.
While I was in Korea, a private in the U.S. Army, Joseph T. White, defected to North Korea on Aug. 28, 1982. I had arrived in Korea just one month before.
I could not understand his reason for defecting, but I was aware that North Koreans played propaganda all day to the guards on the South Korean side of the DMZ.
I left Korea in 1984 and spent a year-and-a-half at Ft. Riley, Kan. I re-enlisted for three more years and received orders to Europe.
We were nearing the end of the Cold War Era and I was assigned to a Forward Support Team for Pershing Missile Units.
I find it ironic that I qualify for the Veterans of Foreign Wars for my service in Korea, but not in Germany.
While stationed in Germany, we received numerous bomb threats and had to evacuate our building. I didn’t face that type of threat in Korea.
Looking back now, it seems strange that it was part of a normal day to hear the sirens go off and evacuate the building.
We knew there was a possibility there would be a bomb in our building, because other military bases had bombing incidents.
My experiences are nowhere near what WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Granada, Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have faced, but I am proud of my service. Every veteran should be proud, because there was always the possibility of going to war when we were serving.
I am honored to be among these veterans and I appreciate their service.
If you didn’t get to thank a veteran on Monday, you still can. Veterans Day is set aside to acknowledge their service to their country, but they appreciate your support on any day of the year.
Thank you to all the veterans in our community who have served their country. Thanks to the schools in our community that take the time to thank our veterans.
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