Pool: Town displays pride in honoring veterans
American Legion Post 53, the town of Roanoke and every citizen who cared enough about our veterans to attend the events Saturday should be commended.
I think it meant a lot to those who served and their families and the families of those who never returned. It is so important to give recognition to and honor those who served and those who are aging and may not be around for another Veteran’s Day.
It is easy to give lip service or plop a yellow ribbon on your car but it takes a little more effort to show up. Thanks to those of you who showed up. And thanks to those of you who served.
And thanks to those of you who worked to put together our first veterans parade in memory. There may have been another one but no one I have talked to can recall one. And thank you to the band who added so much to the festivities.
World War II veteran Willie Paul “Squat” Yarbrough said when he returned home from Europe home life had moved on—there was no welcome home parade. This was his first.
He had served in army artillery, criss-crossing Europe and Germany and fighting in five major World War II battles but when he reached Roanoke on the bus a taxi driver had to tell him where his family was living.
Everyone has a story. We need to remember what our veterans did, whether it was in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq or Afghanistan or elsewhere.
It’s heartbreaking when we at The Leader get an obituary and learn too late about someone’s contributions to our country. Most don’t want to talk about what they went through, but it is important to preserve these stories to inspire those in the future.
You might think Grandpa’s war stories are boring but most likely when he is gone you will wish you knew more of his story.
Most of our veterans were ordinary people like you and me but when they were asked to display enormous courage and fight, and in some cases die, they did it.
Some we know about, like Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor who received the Medal of Honor posthumously in a ceremony at the White House April 8, 2008.
Throughout his career he displayed enormous courage but he received the award for his actions in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Sept. 29, 2006. Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi Army (IA) soldiers. When an insurgent threw a fragmentation grenade into their position it hit Monsoor in the chest before falling to the ground. Monsoor could have escaped but instead, he dropped onto the grenade to save the others from the blast. He died approximately 30 minutes later but he had saved the lives of his three teammates and the Iraqi soldiers.
The Smithsonian is collecting oral histories of soldiers who served in WWII in the Veterans History Project. These first-hand accounts from men and women, civilian and military, who served during the war cover a wide ranging account of the war effort such as D-Day, Women in the Military, the Home Front, Red Cross, Tuskegee Airmen, the Japanese-American and Hispanic Experiences, Navajo Code Talkers and Prisoners of War.
Veterans and civilians are encouraged to stop by and tell their wartime memories (or drop off their written memoirs of war experiences) to be preserved at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.
Experts from various Washington-area museums (from the military services, American Red Cross, Library of Congress, National Park Service, and Smithsonian Institution) advise veterans and their families on preservation of documents and material culture of World War II (letters, scrapbooks, diaries, maps, photographs, memorabilia, medals, uniforms, etc.).
If you are afraid these items will be tossed if you go into assisted living or die you might consider donating them to the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery or to the Randolph County Historical Museum Inc. where they can be preserved.
This is not to venerate war. War is necessary, but nobody hates war like a veteran who has served on the front lines.
At Saturday’s wonderful ceremonies and parade we were provided with a prayer. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the hot spots died down and everybody came home? This prayer is a good one to say every day for those who are defending us and our way of life.
The prayer says: “Almighty God, we commend to Your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with Your Heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give the courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of Your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
