The veterans of Ringgold county have made history – did you know that Lyndon Richards worked on the atomic bomb? Or
that Dr. Duane Mitchell was a prisoner of war during World War II?
There are endless stories of our veterans that we
could tell.
This fall my college composition class had the honor of going to the local nursing homes to meet and
interview the veterans there. They met men like
Brad Holden, who enlisted in 1975 and was sent to Vietnam.
These men had incredible stories and it was our honor and privilege to listen for just a little while.
The history that they recounted for the composition class was priceless.
As one of my students put in her paper, "Often
times our veterans are overlooked and go unnoticed. Not because we don't realize they are there, but because of their
great humbleness. Personally, I would like to thank each and every veteran for their time, service, and the freedoms I
have because of them and I hope none of them go unnoticed on this Veterans Day."
From April Shields' article:
Brave. Kind. Passionate. Proud. Hard-working.
These are just a few words that describe Jake Dailey and Harold Frost.
I had the fortunate opportunity to interview both of these veterans about their time before, during, and after
participating in the service. . . .
"There is a bond between military people that, unless you see and know about it, is
indescribable. These bonds that you form in the military are very strong." Jake Dailey used this to describe the life-long
friends he made while serving.
To me, this signifies that our veterans are passionate people. They give everything that
they have. It also shows that they care about each other enough that they will do whatever it takes to protect each other.
This is part of what Veterans Day is all about. This is what we are here to celebrate: the way that our veterans work
together to protect our country.
To some people, war is not something that should be discussed or acknowledged. They might ask themselves, "Why would we be
on the other side of the world trying to fight somebody else's battle?"
This is precisely what Harold Frost thought to
himself when he first joined the service. To him, the war was not worth the price.
However, while it might seem this
way in the current moment, how can protecting our country not be worth something? How can celebrating our pride not be
worth something?
. . . Think of someone who has protected you without even knowing you.
Think of someone who has had
the bravery, courage and pride to protect our wonderful country.
. . . Thank a veteran today.
Tell them you appreciate them and truly mean it.
These
men and women have sacrificed so much throughout their lives.
So, to begin paying them back, show them your gratitude
for protecting you when nobody else would.
This is what Veterans Day is all about.
Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2012
To submit your Ringgold County items, contact
The County Coordinator.
Please include the word "Ringgold" in the subject line. Thank you.
