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veterans day
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Many of the older veterans asked active soldiers about their service in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the younger soldiers were curious about their elder’s places of duty during World War II, which varied from the Philippians to Key West Florida. “I was in Europe for two and a half years, and got the grand tour of Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Germany, “ said Army Air Corps Capt. (ret) Bob Greenberg. “I was part of the ground crew and we handled every type of airplane that was made in the United States, which were mostly D-17s and B-24s. I enlisted because I would have been drafted otherwise, and I didn’t want to walk so I joined the air corps.” Veterans recalled varied levels of involvement in actual combat operations, but while many had served as clerks or drivers only Ellen Keener, the only female veteran at the luncheon, recalled what it was like to be in France during the Battle of the Bulge. “Women back then were not allowed to get into the army, but I felt bad for the men because they were being drafted left and right and I wanted to do what I could to help so I became a stenographer and was sent over to England,” she said. “Much to my surprise, once we got there they told us we either had to
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go home or join the army, so I became a WAC. We were the first separate battalion of women that went overseas.” “During the Battle of the Bulge they put all of us women in a room and locked the door, because they heard the German’s were dressing up like Americans and parachuting in, but fortunately that didn’t happen,” she said. “It was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the war, and we lost a lot of good men during that fight.” Visiting service members said they appreciated the opportunity to learn about former wars from those who could give them firsthand accounts. “They supported us in the past so it’s our time to support them,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Dayton. “We still have the same overall goal, although the specifics of our missions are quite different, but we can still learn a lot from talking to them.” “After having been deployed several times I would like other people to think about me and treat me respectfully when I retire,” said Staff Sgt. Pierre Farbar. “These veterans have already been through war and need us to remember what they’ve been through, and they deserve the honor and respect we give to them today.”
values
Some of the veterans had difficulty recalling their experiences. Others lamented those who had been at previous Veteran’s Day luncheons but were no longer present. “They’ve had a luncheon every year for the last three years that I’ve been here,” said Paul Dyer, a former Navy fireman 1st class, now 90 years old. “The first year there were a bunch of us, but a lot of them are gone. There’s fewer than a million World War II veterans left nationwide, and soon there won’t be any.” “We’re very appreciative to have hosted the Fort Gordon soldiers, and they’re going to come back and help us build a garden and continue to honor our veterans,” said Kelley Wills, the Morningside activity director responsible for inviting the ALC soldiers. “These men are so special, and as a young 25-year-old there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t sit down with one of them and learn something from them that I didn’t know before. We need to remember the men and women who served and who are still serving, not just on Veterans Day, but every day, and we need to be thankful.” by Christopher Selmek