Leave a Light On: A Veterans Day Story

At Stafford United Methodist Church yesterday, the bells rang out at 11 AM - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. One hundred years ago, bells had tolled to signal the end of World War I and the signing of the Armistice between the Allied Forces and Germany.

Photo by Arlene Lickiss

I had goosebump on top of goosebump as veteran Clayton Grimmett carried the flag to the front of the sanctuary and our congregation repeated the Pledge of Allegiance.

The goosebumps didn't quit when Pastor Nathan Gift shared this story during our tribute to veterans:

The sacrifices of our veterans are manifold. They sacrifice when they sign their name, raise their right hand and don their uniform. They sacrifice by the hardships they face from weather, sometimes lack of food and sleep while on duty. They sacrifice through traumatic experiences in battle. They sacrifice when they return home physically, mentally and emotionally. They sacrifice when their friends die in front of their eyes. They sacrifice when they lay their own lives down while fighting foreign and domestic enemies of our nation. Their families sacrifice on as many levels.

         Romans 13:7—Give to everyone what you owe them…if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 

     John 15:12-13—My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

                Today marks the 100^th Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended WWI. But we remember all our veterans today.

Last night a stranger I’d never met, a veteran, stopped by the parsonage. He just wanted to talk. You know, we have no idea what our veterans go through, how sudden sounds and movements affect them. Their nightmares and mental illness. The pain of loss. And especially how our Vietnam veterans were abused after returning home.

This gentleman who came by last night, told me of one night in the year 2000 when he had intended to take his own life. But looking for some kind of hope, he walked up the steps of our Stafford church. He then rattled the locked doors unsuccessfully and sat down.

In complete despair, he remembered the poem Footprints in the Sand. He recited it as best he remembered. As he finished, the light above him turned on. He couldn’t believe it. He was in awe. But then he felt two arms reach around him and squeeze him in a warm embrace. At that moment he was overcome with tears and an indescribable sense of peace, and his despair faded. He went home and locked his weapon away and never took it out again.

Our world can be ugly, evil and deadly. It doesn’t seem fair, but it is what it is. It’s important to know that no matter how bad the world may seem, if you want hope, God is always there to give it to you. Whenever you see a church with a light on, remember that.

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

On this 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, I'm republishing one of my blog posts about Randy's dad, Melvin, and his service in Korea. On this Veterans Day, I'd also like to thank the families left behind for their sacrifices while their loved ones are protecting all of us.

C. Melvin Fritzemeier, 10th Infantry Division, U.S. Army

My late father-in-law, C. Melvin Fritzemeier, served in the U.S. Army following the Korean War. He didn't talk about his service with me. But on this Veterans Day, I wanted to pay tribute to him and others who have faithfully served our country during wartime and times of peace.

Maybe I just needed to take him on a road trip by Fort Riley. As a kid, Randy remembers hearing "war stories" in the back seat as his Dad drove by the fort, where he had trained before being shipped out to Korea. 

C. Melvin Fritzemeier in uniform; upper right, Camp Casey, Korea, 11-Sept.-54, Saturday night was on the back of this photo; lower left photo was not captioned; lower right, caption says, "Ready to ship out to Korea from Fort Lewis, Washington."

Not long ago, I was digging for photos and came across several from Melvin's military service. After Randy's folks died, we cleaned out their farmhouse. By the end, we were all tired of sorting, so we ended up putting family photos in plastic tubs. We got elected to be the repository for all the tubs. 

Also in the box was this Indianhead insignia, the symbol for the Army's Second Division since October 1917 at Bourmont, Haute-Marne, France, from troops in World War II. The color markings (red, white, and blue) used to identify the division and their equipment in France were chosen  by the commander of the division as the colors for this insignia.  The star and Indian head signify the American origin of the division.

 Melvin was drafted three months after the Korean War officially ended. He served as a truck driver. Randy says he talked about sleeping outside in tents.

Melvin often told a story about Army food. He would never eat dried beef gravy after serving in the Army. He also never touched fruit cocktail. Randy says that he and a buddy each ate a gallon of fruit cocktail that they'd cooled in a nearby stream. He ate so much of it that he never wanted it again. 

As is the case today, servicemen and women leave behind their families as they go to serve their country. I found several little yellow books of photos, which Marie must have sent to Melvin overseas. Marie stayed with her mother in Stafford while Melvin served, and she worked at the Farmers National Bank until he returned and they moved to the farm.

Melvin served two years. By the time he returned to Stafford, he had traded his Private 2nd Class stripes for a Corporal designation.

On this Veterans Day, I'd like to thank all the veterans for their service. Our little community of Stafford has a number of young men and women who have served in the Armed Forces. I thank them for keeping America strong, and I thank their families for the sacrifice of being apart from their loved ones, often in dangerous places. 

This nation will remain the land of the free 

only so long as it is the home of the brave.

  ~Elmer Davis

A Salute to Veterans: Black Hills National Cemetery

The white gravestones march across the landscape, lined up in the military precision familiar to the soldiers who rest there.

The Black Hills National Cemetery is located just off I-90 between Rapid City and Deadwood. The the sounds of 18-wheelers and the rush of cars fade away as you drive through the gates to the cemetery.

Randy and I visited on a September day, a short detour as we traveled from the Rapid City Hospital, where his brother was being cared for, and his apartment in Deadwood.

I decided to save my blog post and photos until this Veterans Day weekend.

It was in 1947 that Congressman Francis Case endorsed the concept of a national cemetery in South Dakota. With the active support of South Dakota veterans organizations, the site was chosen just outside Sturgis in a portion of the Fort Meade Military Reservation.

The 105.9 acre parcel of land was transferred to the Department of the Army in 1948 for national cemetery purposes. The cemetery was designated the Black Hills National Cemetery in recognition of its location within an area of historical significance.

There are more than 29,000 members of the Armed Forces and their eligible dependents buried in the shadow of the Black Hills.

It's a solemn and quiet place.

One of the plaques at the cemetery reads:

The muffled drum's sad roll has beat

The soldier's last tattoo;

No more on life's parade shall meet

That brave and fallen few.

On Fame's eternal camping ground

Their silent tents are spread,

And Glory guards, with solemn round,

The bivouac of the dead.

Because Randy's dad was a Korean War veteran, we stopped to pay our respects at the memorial for that war.

The American flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Black Hills National Cemetery. It stands in silent vigil honoring the lives and deeds of those who answered the call of duty in their nation's service.

On this Veterans Day, I thank all of those who have served our country in the past and those who continue to protect us as active duty personnel today. I also thank their families, who sacrifice their time with their loved ones to benefit us all.

This nation will remain the land of the free

 only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

For a look back at other Veterans Day tributes from The County Line, check these out:

20th Century Veterans Memorial in North Platte,  Nebraska

The North Platte Canteen

In Honor of Veterans, a tribute to my late father-in-law, Melvin Fritzemeier

A Salute to Veterans

American Hero, Part I and Part II (Vietnam POW)

The Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

C. Melvin Fritzemeier, 10th Infantry Division, U.S. Army

My late father-in-law, C. Melvin Fritzemeier, served in the U.S. Army following the Korean War. He didn't talk about his service with me. But on this Veteran's Day, I wanted to pay tribute to him and others who have faithfully served our country during wartime and times of peace.

Maybe I just needed to take him on a road trip by Fort Riley. As a kid, Randy remembers hearing "war stories" in the back seat as his Dad drove by the fort, where he had trained before being shipped out to Korea. 

C. Melvin Fritzemeier in uniform; upper right, Camp Casey, Korea, 11-Sept.-54, Saturday night was on the back of this photo; lower left photo was not captioned; lower right, caption says, "Ready to ship out to Korea from Fort Lewis, Washington."

Not long ago, I was digging for photos and came across several from Melvin's military service. After Randy's folks died, we cleaned out their farmhouse. By the end, we were all tired of sorting, so we ended up putting family photos in plastic tubs. We got elected to be the repository for all the tubs. 

Also in the box was this Indianhead insignia, the symbol for the Army's Second Division since October 1917 at Bourmont, Haute-Marne, France, from troops in World War II. The color markings (red, white, and blue) used to identify the division and their equipment in France were chosen  by the commander of the division as the colors for this insignia.  The star and Indian head signify the American origin of the division.

 Melvin was drafted three months after the Korean War officially ended. He served as a truck driver. Randy says he talked about sleeping outside in tents.

Melvin often told a story about Army food. He would never eat dried beef gravy after serving in the Army. He also never touched fruit cocktail. Randy says that he and a buddy each ate a gallon of fruit cocktail that they'd cooled in a nearby stream. He ate so much of it that he never wanted it again. 

As is the case today, servicemen and women leave behind their families as they go to serve their country. I found several little yellow books of photos, which Marie must have sent to Melvin overseas. Marie stayed with her mother in Stafford while Melvin served, and she worked at the Farmers National Bank until he returned and they moved to the farm.

Melvin served two years. By the time he returned to Stafford, he had traded his Private 2nd Class stripes for a Corporal designation.

On this Veterans' Day, I'd like to thank all the veterans for their service. Our little community of Stafford has a number of young men and women who have served in the Armed Forces. I thank them for keeping America strong, and I thank their families for the sacrifice of being apart from their loved ones, often in dangerous places. 

This nation will remain the land of the free 

only so long as it is the home of the brave.

  ~Elmer Davis

Happy Veterans' Day! 

***

Note: This is a reprint from my archives. 

I Pledge Allegiance

The first two photos were taken at the funeral of World War II veteran Jake Yarbrough, November 4, 2015, Stafford, KS

We often take for granted

the very things

that most deserve our gratitude.

--Cynthia Ozick 

It was at Byers Grade School that I learned the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. Every morning, we'd turn our eyes to the northwest corner of the room, put our little hands over our hearts and repeat this oath:

(I'm second from the left)

I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America  
And to the republic for which it stands
One nation
Under God
Indivisible
With liberty and justice For all.

The memorizing came, I suppose, from repeating it every day. At first, you have to concentrate hard. You have to think about each and every word to make sure you get it right. There weren't many students in that combination first and second grade classroom. If you messed up, Mrs. Bond might hear you in the dozen or so voices.

Through the years, it could be like many things we say by rote. We may not truly think about the meaning. But there's just something about saying those words in unison with 53,000-plus people that makes me feel the words to the depth of my bones.

 

The Ceremony of Allegiance is as much a part of K-State football games as the coin toss. It gives me the chills - every single time.

So on this Veteran's Day, let's think about our allegiance and where it lies. It's not in the political skirmishes. It's not in the political posturing. It should have the same importance and pride that came when we finally remembered the whole pledge as we stood in our first grade classrooms with our hands placed firmly over our hearts:

One nation
Under God
Indivisible.

On this Veterans' Day, I thank the veterans and the active duty service personnel who protect my right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. It's up to all of us to not just utter the words, but live them.

Flyover prior to the October 17, 2015 K-State game

May we remember what freedom really means.

In a Soldier's Own Words

The Army summed up Oric Neelly's service during World War II in fewer than 100 words:

Radio Operator, High Speed. Served for 36 months in European Theatre of Operations: Africa, Italy, France and Germany, as Radio Operator with 1st Armored Signal Battalion. Received orders from Tank Commander and transmitted them to other tanks in the platoon. For 18 months, worked in Radio Control section of the 7th Army receiving and transmitting itinerary communications in Morse Code. Receives and sends Morse Code at the rate of 20 words per minute. Was also operator in Army and Navy Teletype Communications, which was set up to insure the safe reception and transmission of confidential and secret messages. 

Oric Neelly was my great-uncle, the youngest brother of my Grandpa Shelby Neelly. He was born February 12, 1919, and died June 5, 2014.

Several years ago, Oric's daughter, Brenda, asked her Dad to record some of his memories of World War II. He decided he'd rather write them in his own hand. She transcribed them and compiled them into a hardcover book, "Memoirs of World War II" by Oric C. Neelly.

When Oric died this past June, my brother, Kent, and I sang at the funeral. One of the songs we chose was "America, the Beautiful," in honor of Oric's service to our nation. On this Veteran's Day, I'm sharing just a snippet of his story from the book, which I was privileged to receive from Brenda.

The words of Oric C. Neelly are below:

We boarded ship at Norfolk, Virginia, on or about the 20th of October, 1942. We were at sea for about 18 days. We were dodging submarines or maybe just waiting for D-Day. D-Day being the day the invasion was to start. ...

(I'll insert here: This is not the D-Day we think of. As best I can tell, this would have been part of Operation Torch, the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II, which started on November 8, 1942).

Back to Oric: There were, I suppose, around six or seven thousand people on board. We were packed in pretty good, bunks stacked on top of one another. ...

The invasion took place on the 8th of November, 1942. The ship pulled in closer to shore and started unloading tank lighters, tanks, half-tracks and all the other equipment. Of course, the battleships and everything else were firing into shore. We were out on deck watching. ...

The ship was listing from side to side ... Being from dry Kansas, I didn't know how to swim. I thought this may be a problem. Anyway, I took off all my clothes and shoes, being just in my shorts and dog tags. I kept my billfold, which was a good thing because after I got into the water, it was a pretty good paddle. I went down a wood and rope ladder that was hanging down the side of the ship away from the fire, but the fire was on both sides of the ship. I got as far away from it as I could and pushed off into the water. My life jacket slipped up my back and stopped at the back of my head, but it kept me above water. Then I started dog-paddling away from the ship. ...

The waves in the ocean were high, not breaking over, but almost. ... I just paddled away from the ship. I never noticed the cold much, but I think it was. I was in the water for about 45 minutes, just getting away from the fire and the ship. There was a Frenchman in a small fishing boat that came along and picked me up and took me in to shore. That was at Fedala, eight miles north of Casablanca.

There were only a few on that little boat. I don't know what made that Frenchman pick me up. There were at least two or three thousand guys in the water at the time. ... The Frenchman took us to the dock and let us off. I regret to this day I didn't get that guy's name, but I didn't. When we got off the little boat, I didn't have any clothes on or shoes. My fair, eyebrows and mustache were all white, burned from the fire, so I must have looked pretty bad. ...

Now that I am ashore, I don't know where to go or what to do without any clothes or shoes. Someone told me to go to First-Aid and told me where it was. My sea legs were so bad I could hardly walk, but I took off. When I came to it, it was just a small house on the side of the road. I went in and there were guys laying everywhere, moaning and groaning really loud and blood everywhere. I looked in the next room. Two guys were throwing dead people out the window. ... I said to myself, "I am not hurt this bad, I am getting out of here." ...

After that, I wandered into a camp of GI's. I told them I was off that ship that was burning out at sea. It burned all night. They took me in and gave me some chow and a blanket. One of the guys was gone, so they gave me his cot to sleep on. I was fixed for the night and safe on shore, which was a good feeling. ...

Now this was just the start of the war. I was over there 2 1/2 years. I can't remember some of it too well, so that's why I'll just tell you the highlights now and again.

I want to insert some sayings and words of wisdom that I have picked up going through life, hoping you will find them interesting or amusing, whatever:

***

The book recounts other memories of Oric's service in the Army. For me, it is more powerful than a history book because I knew the author. 

An honor guard from Fort Riley played "Taps" at Oric's funeral in June.

And, Oric's words, written in his own hand, seem particularly appropriate on this Veteran's Day. 

This just a small portion of the book, but on this Veteran's Day, I thank my Uncle Oric and all the other brave men and women who have served our country. 

Thanks also to Brenda for making sure one veteran's story was told and preserved. It is quite a gift! (More thoughts from Oric's service are here: Who Has Seen the Wind?)