Saluting Our Heroes 2016 by Suburban Newspapers

SALUTING OUR HEROES

NOVEMBER 2, 2016

A suplement of Subrban Newspapers Inc.

HERO:

A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities (Merriam-Webster)

Saluting our American heroes There are many ways to honor those who have served and sacrificed for their country — volunteering at the veterans home, visiting with a veteran and listening to his or her story or helping with the 2016 Nebraska’s Official Veterans Parade. Many of us know someone who has served in a branch of the U.S. armed forces. Serving and recognizing these heroes are honors next

to none. As important as it is to acknowledge the sacrifices these men and women have made, they can be easy to forget. To salute those who have served in the armed forces, head to the 2016 Nebraska’s Official Veterans Parade this Saturday in Bellevue. For more information about the parade, see Page 6. — Suburban Newspapers

SALUTING OUR HEROES Section editor and designer: Tom Knox • Special Projects Manager: Paul Swanson • Copy Editor: Kim Carpenter This special section is published by Surburban Newspapers Inc. To advertise in future sections, call 402-444-1248

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Respecting the stars and stripes: Flag etiquette Summers are packed with outdoor activities, barbecues and patriotic celebrations. While the American flag is often an important part of these celebrations, many of us have questions about how to display and properly care for it. “Flag etiquette can be confusing,” said Mary “Dubbie” Buckler, executive director and national secretary of the American Legion Auxiliary. “Many Americans want to show patriotism, but do not know the standards of respect and traditions associated with flag flying.” The American Legion Auxiliary, the world’s largest women’s patriotic organization, helps to advance the mission of The American Legion, the nation’s largest veteran’s service organization, by providing service to veterans, military and their families. The American Legion has played an important role in establishing the standards of flag etiquette since before the passing of the first national codes in 1923. It works diligently to uphold these historical standards, which can be found in the Flag Code, official national rules regarding the American flag. “The American flag is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated,” Buckler said. “The American Legion Auxiliary is passionate about educating the public so they can do so with proper respect for

the freedom and sacrifices it represents.” Here, Buckler shares the following guidelines for using, displaying and caring for the American flag.

HOISTING AND LOWERING THE FLAG • The flag of the United States of America should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously. • The flag is saluted or acknowledged by placing a hand over your heart as it is hoisted and lowered. • When lowered, the flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water or merchandise. MANNER OF DISPLAYING THE FLAG • The Flag Code states it is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. • When a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness. • The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed. • The flag should be displayed vertically, whether indoors or out, and suspended so its folds fall free as though the flag were staffed. See Flag: Page 5

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Following a family tradition of service DYLAN HUDELSON Dylan Hudelson is an Active Duty Infantry Marine serving with the 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment. Dylan enlisted into the Marine Corps in March 2016 and left for boot camp June 22, 2016 shortly after graduating from Gretna High School. He will officially enter the Fleet January 2017. Dylan is currently deployed overseas. Dylan follows in the footsteps of many family members that entered into the armed services, including Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force. — Submitted by Angie Lauritsen, mother of Dylan Hudelson

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With many role models who have served in the United States Armed Forces, Dylan Hudelson enlisted in the Marines this year. His role models include father, Ken Hudelson, and uncle, Robert Widick.

KEN HUDELSON From 1990 to 1994 I was in the Navy. My military occupational specialty (MOS) was an aviation machinist’s mate. I started out working on F-14 Tomcats with a couple different squadrons. I spent the most time with VF-11 Red Rippers. I deployed to Desert Shield and Desert Storm with this squadron. We also did missions in Somalia, during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. I went back to Iraq for the Kurdish relief effort in 1994 and I was honorably discharged in 1994. In late 1995 I joined the Army Reserves. I then joined active-duty Army in late 1996 and served to 2001. My MOS was 88M, as a heavy transportation operator. I basically hauled tanks and heavy armor. I was deployed to Bosnia in 1997 with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, until late 1998. This deployment was in direct support of the Bosnia peacekeeping mission. We formed the Implementation Force (IFOR) and were there to support the Bosnians and their resettlement back to their country. We also had to clear mines and IEDs. I left there in 1998 and was sent on orders to Korea, where I did a hardship tour. We deployed to the DMZ from Camp Nimble as a support force for the 2nd Infantry Division. — Submitted by Ken Hudelson, father of Dylan ROBERT WIDICK I served in the United States Air Force on active duty from September 1994 through March 1999. I was on inactive reserve from March 1999 through the summer of 2002. I received an honorable discharge. I was never part of any conflicts. My MOS was 3P031 in the Security Forces, and I was primarily law enforcement. — Submitted by Robert Widick, uncle of Dylan

Laid to rest at home, with full honors National Cemetary opened with a service for four veterans, one from each military branch

Steve Liewer WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE

Four crisply folded flags. Four slow, white-gloved salutes. Twenty-one rifle shots. And the sounding of taps. One ceremony, simple but moving in the military tradition, on Sept. 27 marked the first of what will be many thousands of burial services at the new Omaha National Cemetery. The ashes of four veterans — Marine Cpl. John “Frank” Ernst of Omaha, Army Spc. Michael Brabec of Fremont, Air Force Sgt. James Edgell of Council Bluffs and Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Russell Rosberg of Omaha — were buried with full military honors at the new cemetery, near Highway 50 and Schram Road. So were those of Frank’s wife, Ruth. “We celebrate the fact that the Omaha National Cemetery is here and it’s operating,” said Cindy Van Bibber, the cemetery director, in her brief remarks at the service. “Long after we’re gone, these headstones will still be here, representing the sacrifices these people made.” One veteran was chosen from each service branch from a list of more than 220 whose families requested burial in the brand-new cemetery, Van Bibber said. More than 30 members of the veterans’ families attended the burial service. Several described their veterans as humble men,

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Saundra Rosberg, of Omaha, holds a photograph of her husband, United States Navy Petty Officer 1st Class, Russell A. Rosberg, along with the American flag she was presented as the brand-new Omaha National Cemetery hheld its first burials as four veterans were buried with full honors during a single ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska, in September. The new 236-acre cemetery will serve the burial needs of more than 112,000 veterans. proud of their service. Rosberg’s widow, Saundra, said her husband was born in Bloomfield, Nebraska. He enlisted in 1952, one of five brothers to serve in the Navy. Russell Rosberg, a gunner’s mate, spent four years on active duty and four more in the reserves. Back home, he worked as a barber and

Paying tribute to OUR NATION’S VETERANS

later as a construction worker and cement finisher. In 1980, friends talked him into re-enlisting in a Navy Reserves construction battalion. He finally retired in 1993. “He was just as proud of his Seabee time as his regular service,” his wife said. He died in 2013, at 78, from congestive heart failure. She was sure he would be

thrilled to part of Tuesday’s ceremony. “He’s got to be smiling up in Heaven,” Saundra Rosberg said. Before his death in 1996, Frank Ernst predicted that Omaha would one day have a military cemetery. He made his son, John F. Ernst Jr., then an Army officer, promise that Frank and Ruth would someday be buried there. It took 20 years to fulfill the promise. “It’s quite an honor to see this happen,” John Ernst Jr. said. “Dad would be tickled pink.” Frank Ernst was a fourth-generation Marine, born in West Virginia. He quit high school during his senior year in 1943 to serve in World War II. He fought in the Pacific at Saipan and Tinian. He watched the B-29 “Enola Gay” take off with the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, heralding the end of the war. John Ernst Jr. said his father returned home in early 1946 and married his high school sweetheart, Ruth. He later worked as a casualty manager for Aetna and was transferred to Omaha. The couple loved Nebraska and decided to stay. “Everything he did was focused on work and family,” John Ernst Jr. said. “He was very laid back and low key. You never would have guessed that he was a hardbitten Marine.” See Cemetery: Page 5

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Cemetery: With full honors, respect Continued from Page 4 Like Frank and Ruth Ernst, James Edgell grew up in West Virginia. He was a high school football player who joined the Air Force in 1964. He served eight years, much of it working on weaponry at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, said his daughter, Melissa Edgell. James Edgell lived in the Omaha area after leaving the military, and he worked 38 years as a forklift operator at the Tenneco plant. In his spare time, his daughter said, he liked working on cars and was devoted to his wife, Joan, two daughters and four granddaughters. Despite his West Virginia roots, he remained a devoted Nebraska football fan until his death of cancer in 2010. Joan Edgell, who lives in Council Bluffs, visited a national cemetery and was impressed with the beauty and order. She decided that her husband should be buried there. “It was my mom’s idea,” Melissa Edgell said. “I really think that he would be proud and appreciate the honor.” Cheryl Brabec Fidler accepted her ex-husband’s folded flag 48 years to the day after the two were married in Weston, Nebraska. Born in Omaha, Michael Brabec grew up on a farm near Wahoo. He joined the Army in 1969, a few months after his wedding. He left for Vietnam on his wife’s 20th birthday. He came back a changed man, daughter Traci Tweedy said. “He said there were a lot of things he had seen that no one should ever see,” Tweedy said.

Brabec left the Army in 1972. He and his wife later divorced. He lived in Arizona for many years and moved to Fremont in 1989. He drove a truck and worked as a mechanic for a chemical company. He loved gardening and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, his daughter said. He died in 2008, at age 58. “This is a very big honor for him,” Tweedy said. “He’s finally laid to rest.” Though it is just now opening for burials, Omaha National Cemetery already has a history. In the early 2000s, Bellevue businessmen Steve Johnson and John Richard Thompson started a group called Memorial Ridge of the Midlands to lobby federal, state and local officials for a cemetery in Sarpy County. The effort took years longer than they expected and required legislation in Congress. Construction eventually began in mid-2015. Most of the current facilities are temporary ones, said Van Bibber, the cemetery director. Work will continue for another year on permanent headquarters, maintenance and honor-guard buildings, a visitors center and the first 5,500 sites for casketed and cremated remains. “Even the flagpole is a temporary flagpole,” she said. The cemetery is expected to accommodate burials of Nebraska and Iowa veterans, and their spouses for the next 100 years, Van Bibber said. More burials are scheduled. Up to five funerals can be held each day. This story was originally published by the Omaha World-Herald on September 28, 2016.

FIRST FOUR BURIED AT OMAHA NATIONAL CEMETERY John F. Ernst Born: May 26, 1923, Wheeling, West Virginia Died: June 17, 1996, Omaha Military Service: Corporal, Marine Corps, 194346 (World War II veteran) Buried along with his wife, Ruth Ernst, who died in 1997 Michael C. Brabec Born: June 2, 1949, Omaha Died: April 18, 2008, Fremont Military Service: Specialist, Army, 1969-72 (Vietnam War veteran) Russell A. Rosberg Born: Oct. 12, 1934, Bloomfield, Nebraska Died: May 23, 2013, Omaha Military Service: Petty Officer 1st Class, Navy/ Navy Reserves 1952-60; 1980-93 (Korean War veteran, Gulf War-era) James Edgell Born: Aug. 20, 1945, Shinnston, West Virginia Died: Nov. 22, 2010, Council Bluffs Military Service: Sergeant, Air Force, 1964-72 (Vietnam-era veteran) Spaces can’t be reserved in the cemetery, director Cindy Van Bibber said. But burial arrangements may be made for deceased veterans or their eligible family members by calling the National Cemetery scheduling office at 800-535-1117.

Flag: Displaying, storing, disposing Continued from Page 2

• Whether in the window of a home or business, the flag should be displayed in the same way; that is, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.

STORING AND DISPOSING OF THE FLAG • The Flag Code does not require any specific method of storage, however, over time it has become tradition to fold the flag into a triangular shape like that of a three-corner hat, with only the blue union showing. • When a flag is so worn that it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner. The American Legion frequently conducts flag retirement ceremonies, often on Flag Day, June 14. THE FLAG SHOULD NEVER BE • Displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. • Used as a drapery or for any other decoration. • Carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free. • Used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying or delivering anything. • The flag should never be used as apparel, bedding or drapery. • Festooned, drawn back, or up in folds, but always allowed to fall free. — Brandpoint

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NEBRASKA’S OFFICIAL VETERAN’S PARADE

Come out and honor veterans The 17th Annual Defenders of Freedom parade is set for Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. About 100 entries are expected for Nebraska’s Official Veterans Parade. They will include active-duty and retired military and veterans groups, schools, floats, marching bands, businesses and elected officials. The Fraternal Order of Eagles will again serve breakfast to the public from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at 209 W. Mission Ave. Next year the parade will fall on Veterans Day, only the second time in its history to fall on the holiday. Next year’s parade will also celebrate the state’s 150th year. — Suburban Newspapers

PARADE Saturday at 10 a.m. Route begins at Jackson Street and Mission Avenue and proceeds to Washington Park and Franklin Street

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The Bellevue East High School Marching Band represented one of many schools that marched in last year’s Defenders of Freedom Parade.

GRAND MARSHAL Ellis McClintick will be the Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. McClintick, 94, enlisted in the United States Army Airforce in October 1942, when he was 20 years old. After training he became an aerial navigator the following year. Two years later, after more training, McClintick became a pilot for the United States Air Force. He served for more than 30 years, including in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. During his career, McClintick was stationed in Goose Bay, Labrador, Japan, Guam and Thailand. He spent the last 14 years at Strategic Air Command, retiring from the headquarters in 1972 as a Colonel.

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La Vista Community Foundation to celebrate veterans Honoring veterans and their families is of utmost importance to the Board of Directors of the La Vista Community Foundation (LVCF). To show respect to those who have served through military service, the LVCF has assembled community and business leaders and organizations to present a Salute the Veterans Banquet on Wednesday, Nov. 9th, at the La Vista Conference Center. The power of demonstration will be evident as community members and leaders alike join with businesses and corporations to fund and organize this event, now in its seventh year. LVCF Executive Director Leah Hoins said the event wouldn’t be possible without committed members of the community. “It has become well known across the area,” she said. “Once again, our expectations have been exceeded as veterans have expressed their interest in attending.” The event begins with a cocktail hour at 5 p.m. and is followed by a program honoring the veterans and their families in attendance as well as those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while in service and those who are missing in action. Dwight “Doc” Wininger, the voice of Nebraska Men’s Basketball at Pinnacle Area, will emcee the event. This year’s featured speaker is Brigadier General Donald Bacon, former commander of the 55th wing at Offutt Air Force Base.

SALUTE THE VETERANS BANQUET When: Nov. 9th, 5 p.m., program begins at 6 p.m. Where: La Vista Conference Center, Westport Parkway Registration: call 402-960-9625 or online at www.lavistacommunityfoundation.com/veteransday “We couldn’t do it without our sponsors,” said Hoins, who was part of the committee that made the menu selections. “The meal to be served is exquisite and simply wouldn’t be able to be offered to such a large crowd without our community partners and the gracious donations made by the Embassy Suites.” The event continues to attract area sponsors which include: Embassy Suites/La Vista Conference Center, Yahoo, Securities America and American National Bank, Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, The City of Papillion, Black Hills Energy, Primrose School of La Vista, Pinnacle Bank, and Baxter Toyota of La Vista Space is limited, and registration is required. For more information or to register to attend the Salute to Veterans Banquet visit, www.lavistacommunityfoundation. com/veterans-day. The cost is free to veterans and a guest. — La Vista Community Foundation

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