On Veteran's Day

On November 11 we will pause to honor those who have served our nation in the Armed Forces. The date is significant in that it was originally referred to as Armistice Day in commemoration of the cessation of hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, ending War World I. President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 wrote these words about the day which would be to commemorate the fallen:

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

CSM Bennie Adkins - War Eagle!

Over time, Veterans Day has evolved from the original intent to its present day form. Now, Memorial Day is the day we honor those who have lost their lives in service to our nation and Veterans Day is a salute to our veterans.
Saturday, Susan and I attended the Auburn University football game between AU and Texas A&M. Throughout the game, Auburn recognized several members of the Auburn community for their service to this nation. One gentleman was CSM Bennie Adkins (ret) who was awarded our nation's highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Dad being promoted while in Vietnam

It was interesting later to read up a little more on CSM Adkins and the actions leading to his CMH. The actions leading to his recognition are not unknown to me, not so much in specific details but in general terms. You see, like Adkins my father also served in the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) - a unit commonly referred to as the "Green Berets".  My father would shortly after the actions at A Shau valley join this group of warriors. In discussions probably bordering on 20 years ago now the name A Shau valley became known to me and how following the losses there, my father was recruited to serve with this elite brotherhood.  "Recruited" was something dad always said with a smile because he specifically did not remember expressing interest in this group when they came through Ft. Campbell on their recruiting drive.  Instead, dad got orders to report to 5th SF in Vietnam and once there had two options -- serve with them or be moved to a regular unit.  Dad was anything but stupid and knew that the best chance of living through combat was if the the guy next to you was a highly trained professional soldier who possessed a myriad of skills best suited for, as the airborne motto would day, "Providing the enemy with the maximum opportunity to give his life for his country."  He would go on to serve 2 tours in Southeast Asia with this group of warriors and sometimes, when the mood struck him, you could elicit a few stories from him of his days in Vietnam.

Tuesday, we will pause to recognize Veterans. Men and women like my father --the grandfather of my children, the brother of 1 brother and 2 sisters, husband to my mother. The son of his parents. Like all veterans, there is a connection of many to him and through him. Some veterans like my father served in combat when the political leadership of our nation for sometimes good and sometimes bad reasons failed to secure peaceful resolutions to situations. Some have been blessed to serve in only peace time, like myself.

Susan and I at Ft. Benning

When my father was in the army, I remember going with him sometimes as he would go to duty. I remember once being around his unit in Ft. Rucker and a soldier complaining about the pain-in-the-butt "TAC" that would be doing an inspection they were preparing for... somewhat to his surprise later learning that TAC was my father (yeah, he could be demanding for seemingly odd reasons). I remember watching him jump from helicopters ("oh, just for fun" he said). I remember my own experiences, my days of "just for fun" going through Airborne School, where I learned one of life's most enduring lessons -- if your life depends on doing something correctly, you have the rest of your life to do it right. Maybe that is why Dad was sometimes a demanding task master.

So, on Tuesday we will honor our veterans. But, I will also think of those who are connected to and through those vets. The wives and sons and daughters... It has been an honor to know so many veterans. To have served with them and to get to know their families.  Previously, I have written about those who silently stand beside our warriors, you can view that post here.  I will think of those like CSM Adkins who served with such gallantry.  And I will also remember the very many friends I have made along the way who, while serving quietly, also embodied the spirit of the American soldier in standing ready to ensure our freedoms and privileges.