Saluting fellow soldiers

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Editor’s Note — World War II overseas veteran Elmo Ray Younger of Morris  was a guest speaker at the Saturday, Oct. 24, Muster Call USO Variety Show at Silver Cross Field. The event celebrated all service personnel, with focus on the Vietnam veterans. The following is the text of his message.

This is a day to pay tribute and to say ‘Thanks’ to all veterans. Today I want to pay tribute, and my respect to, the Vietnam veterans.

The Vietnam vet fought a war in hell. In the jungle, streams and rivers, that vet made a commitment and honored the commitment. Every one of them sacrificed something, and many paid the supreme sacrifice.

“Then they returned home, and continued to pay; they came back to a divided nation, one torn by the politics of war.

In small towns and large cities, the climate had changed and the Vietnam vets were not treated like their predecessors. Many of the vets came home with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), which at one time was called ‘battle fatigue,’ and previously, ‘shell shocked.’

PTSD is an invisible wound that leaves no physical scar, but scars nonetheless. It has taken years to recover and heal from that wound.

Now, nearly 40 years later, the Vietnam vet has assumed a rightful place in society, in all walks of life and strongly within veterans service organizations.

All of us need to thank these vets, not just verbally, but by continuing to provide the services veterans need. The Vietnam vets were here for all of us, and we must do our best to repay them with respect and honor, for they have truly fought a war on two fronts - one at home, and one abroad.

We would be remiss if we don’t also thank our ‘future veterans,’ those serving in Afghanistan and in Iraq. These brave warriors, born in peace, are fighting a war in the shadows against a faceless enemy, one without a uniform or country.

We are a great nation, not so much as for our natural resources as for our character.

A winning formula for many returning World War II veterans was the G.I. Bill of Rights, 4 percent bank interest education, hard work, wisdom, discipline, honesty, integrity, morality, generosity, and unselfishness.

One of my heroes in Rocky Blier, a Vietnam vet, graduate of Notre Dame University and a former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He was wounded in Vietnam and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He was told he would never play football again. He spent nine months in the hospital. He played in four Super Bowls with the Steelers. Rocky is currently running a successful construction company and employs many Vietnam veterans.

And so, let this old WW II veteran salute you, the veteran, and those who continue to fight, all of whom preserve the freedom this nation enjoys.

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