On this day after Veterans Day, I am trying to slip under the wire and say a quick word about this holiday before it joins the other “crossed out” dates on the all-important refrigerator calendar. Veterans Day has a long and jumbled history as it went through more than 100 years of various changes and modifications courtesy of our United States Congress. Early on, it was one of a very few national holidays observed in the United States. Nowadays, we have so many national holidays that the whole idea seems to have been a little trivialized. That’s a shame. In truth, Veterans Day has not always received the respect and prominence it deserves. I have the clear impression of growing up in the two decades immediately following World War II when this country only sparingly celebrated the role of the greatest generation of men and women who protected this land. That changed in the years following Vietnam and thankfully, is no longer the case. Because of the efforts of national organizations and most especially local groups like the ones we have here, (Veterans at the Library, the VFW, American Legion) veterans are being honored for their years of service in uniform, as well as the role they play later on in their communities. In peacetime and in war, the names of Emanuel Countians who stepped forward to serve are memorialized on monuments in the Veterans and First Responders Park. Most people have no idea that only 4 to 5% of our national population ever served in the military, and of that number, the majority who serve come from the South and other rural areas.
The Veterans at the Library have an extremely active membership that sponsors numerous events throughout the year. The theme of their outreach is, “what the veteran fears the most is being forgotten”. Everyone knows a veteran. They are just regular folks. Some are decorated for their service, some are not, but all are honored on Veterans Day for raising their hand, taking the oath and doing their job for two years, or four, or 30. That is the debt this country owes them for what they did.
A few years ago, I happened to see a name that took me way, way back to my bike riding, cowboys and Indian days in the late 1950’s. Our territory stretched out before us from the old high school across Racetrack Street, Church Street, and over to West Main Street down to Mixon’s Texaco Filling Station and then across Moring Street into the “no man’s land” of Hangman’s Branch. We knew what was going on in every backyard, every goldfish pool, and whose backyard we could short-cut through without getting caught. One summer, a real quiet kid with a funny looking grin and a real ugly dog started riding along behind us. He obviously was looking for an invitation. We didn’t let him in at first, but he kept tagging along, so we told him he would be a “junior member”. We had great adventures for a year or so, and after a while he felt like he truly belonged. One Saturday morning, he didn’t show up. When we went to his house, there was nobody there, and we never heard anything more about him. In 2010, I saw his name again and I had to stop for a minute. His name was on a military grave marker in the cemetery. He had served in the military, been to Vietnam, and come back home. He later lost his life in an automobile accident.
I had not thought of him in over 50 years, but every year since I have remembered that quiet kid, with the ugly dog, and I can still see that funny crooked smile he had. I don’t know what his life was like, but I do know he grew up, joined the military, and served his country in a very dangerous place. I’m certain he is remembered by his family, but just to be sure and even though it’s 15 years late, I can say there is no chance at all of him being forgotten. This veteran doesn’t have to worry about that. I hope everyone remembers to thank the veterans in their lives this week. If you forget, just keep repeating yourself. They won’t mind a bit.
