“That way we can have a good life and not go out to war”. “I’m not sure you could say we were on the front, but we were bombed constantly for 2 or 3 weeks and shot at all the time”, said VFW Vice President Grace Jacobson. The story highlighted the total disregard for those who have left military service with severe emotional and physical issues, but who have been let to fend for themselves.
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The keynote speaker was veteran Josh Walker from Plymouth.
“Actually what we really try to do is to help each other with the experiences we had and the aftermath”, said Vietnam veteran Anthony Lovenguth. A sense of patriotism – of wanting to serve one’s country – is usually one motivating factor.
“American effort during World War II saw the greatest mobilization of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force in the nation’s history [more than 16 million people]; a few 5.7 million more served in the Korean War”, the History.com website states. Hayward Garner, 68, who has two purple hearts, was apart of the U.S. Army in Vietnam 1968-69. Still, after all these years, the meaning of his service and of Veterans Day is not lost and that’s why he was there.
From take off to landing, it was something these veterans never expected.
“I have bittersweet memories of being in service”. Each year I ask myself and them why our veterans have to depend on private donations to care for them; this should be in our national budget to care for those who “served” and who now need our assistance to care for them.
The Class of 2015 framed citation and pictures will join 34 previous inductees in the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame on the Georgia Capital grounds in the Floyd Veterans Building, which is scheduled to open late this year.
Recalling his time as an infantryman during the Iran-Iraq War, Qassim shares, “I know it’s not right… to do this, but I have to”.
“To come back and see that all the Americans appreciate everything you’ve done, a lot of soldiers don’t really see that”.
Head of School Jody Gable said it is important for students to understand the sacrifices of those who served in the military. “They didn’t treat us very well when we came back”.
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“It was like a double whammy for Black vets”.
