By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
They honored America’s military veterans and first responders, and they commemorated four important milestones. With undying passion and focus, a small Kentucky community showed us what is good and what is possible.
Wilmore, the little town that could — and did.
It took months of hard work and detailed planning by dedicated citizens, along with solid leadership from Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater and a host of others, and it’s now clear that the June 11-13 “Wilmore Salute to Service” proved a rousing success, providing a sterling blueprint for other communities with similar goals.
Mostly, it honored those who should be honored and brought to our remembrances milestones that should be remembered: America at 250. Wilmore at 150, Thomson-Hood at 35, and the 9-11 attacks at 25.
As is often said, “Let us not forget.”
Things started with a mid-day gathering on the 11th at the Southland Christian Church, a few miles from Wilmore, where a select group of memorials were “escorted” from the church through downtown Nicholasville, downtown Wilmore, and finally to Wilmore’s Thomson-Hood Veterans Center (THVC), the main location for the Salute to Service. Those commemorative symbols presented for public viewing were the Vietnam Memorial, The Cost of Freedom Memorial, and the Global War on Terror.
On Friday the 12th, the event opened to the public at THMC, with kids’ activities at noon after a commemorative event especially for children at Wilmore’s City Hall. The opening ceremony and a “Huey” helicopter flyover followed. Late in the day, vigils were held for both first responders and fallen soldiers.
I was there, and I sensed amongst the crowd both a dutiful feeling of solemnity and a joyful celebration for what was happening. It felt like I was walking on holy ground.
The next day, the good crowd of Friday became a great crowd on Saturday. As on Friday, I spent much of my time interviewing selected veterans on the grounds, some of whom are current residents of THVC.
At 4:00, perhaps the most endearing event of the three days took place on Saturday, emboldened with clear and sunny skies. It was a moving ceremony that actually encapsulated the honoring of two groups. First, a speaker individually profiled fourteen veterans who had been prisoners of war or were left missing in action. The respect he portrayed to each brought chills to the audience, and his inviting relatives to come receive symbols of appreciation hopefully brought, at least, some small measure of closure.
Brig. General Benjamin Adams followed by giving individual recognition to over 250 veterans previously registered for the event. It was a time, according to one event official, of “rolling out the red carpet” in tribute to their service. One was WW II-era 103-year-old veteran Paul Jones, who led the gathering in the “Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.” There was a great cross-section of veteran ages and war eras, and they were all valued.
So much of the satisfaction for me came from hearing “the little stories” from a multitude of veterans I interviewed, including a few German soldiers now living in the United States who raved about their experiences with America’s forces.
Joe Pila, a THVC resident in his nineties, immigrated to America from Italy in 1947. He joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany, noting that he was sent there rather than North Korea because he “spoke three languages.” An avid painter, he has some of his work presented at THVC and a nearby assisted-living home.
A 22-year resident of THVC, Ken Rowland, said the veteran center “has been good to me.” Originally from Greenup County, Kentucky, served as a radioman in the Navy and mentioned he was “one of the lucky ones” who wasn’t deployed in a wartime zone. He’s thankful, he said, that he “didn’t get seasick” on ocean waters though many of his mates did.
Gerald Miller, a native of Nicholasville, saw his marriage interrupted in 1968 when he was drafted into the Army at 25-years-old. He would serve in Thailand, but a truck accident left him with a chronic back injury he has dealt with since. He was later able to have a career with Kerns Bakery. He gives credit for the support of his wife of 62 years, and he told me he “loves this country” and “wouldn’t take anything for my experience in service.”
An Army veteran who worked in medical units became a resident at THVC a few months back. Nina Suri, age 79, has taken a real interest in the veteran center appearance, helping to take care of its landscaping. She also considers herself a “protector” of other residents (she calls them “colleagues”) and watches out for them to aid the staff in their care.
I was fortunate to meet Perry Barnes, from Nicholasville, who was handing out Gideon Bibles at the event. Notably, he joined the U.S. Marines in 1953 after being dismissed because they found out he was only 16. Perry “rejoined” at age 17, however, and served honorably. He talked about the veteran center having a “great staff and support from the community.”
Judy Mason came, she said, “from a very patriotic family,” and she followed suit when she served in both the Air force and Army. She “teared up” when seeing the series of American flags on the road leading to THVC. She is an active member of the American Legion Post 63 in Nicholasville. Her brother, Troy, is also a member and joined the Army in 1966 and specialized in diesel mechanics. Troy noted that he was part of a crew headed for Viet Nam deployment when plans changed and he was assigned duty in Okinawa.
David Gross spent almost 26 years in the Army and, ironically, was turned down for his first-choice specialty as a military policeman because he a quarter inch shorter than the necessary 5’10”. He spent most of his career, then, as an Army “career counselor.” Donald Short said he “grew up to be a man” with his four years in the Navy starting in 1968. His father, he noted, was wounded in WW II and left for dead, but miraculously lived. Both Short and Gross, along with the Masons, are a part of Nicholasville’s Post 63.
Deborah Dye, a resident of Sayre Christian Village, an assisted living community in Lexington, praised her service in the Air Force as “being part of something” and said that she became emotional as she returned from a recent Honor Flight event to a huge crowd cheering the veterans. Joe Jennings is a THVC resident and Viet Nam vet, and said that while there in that foreign land, one “had to protect themselves 24-7.”
After seeing young Fred Keeley, recently out of high school, show unusual shooting talent while training in an Army helicopter, he was sent directly to Viet Nam to engage in the fiercest fighting imaginable.
Fred was shot down seven times, and one time was left for dead. On that occasion, he explained how he hung onto the crashed aircraft as it toppled down a hill and at the bottom, he noted, “it was on top of me.”
He was rescued later after “digging out” and “running back up the hill.” After being rescued and sent to a hospital for treatment, he said he “was asked to write a letter to my mom to tell her I was OK.” Now 78, he and his wife live on a farm on the outskirts of Wilmore—with much less drama and a whole lot of faith and patriotism.
Fresh out of having open heart surgery in May, Army veteran Bill Dalzell admirably made sure he was at the event to see the Viet Nam Memorial. He missed going to Viet Nam because “it was slowing down” at the time, but he would spend three years in active duty and 21 in the Army Reserves. Today, Bill and his wife are supporters of THVC, bringing Christmas gifts to residents and seeds to feed the birds and squirrels around the building.
Much like Bill, David Carter thought it important enough to come to Wilmore’s Salute even after suffering a heart attack five weeks before. David, who worked Army security in Viet Nam’s Kam Ronh Bay in ’70-’71, made the interesting point that “I was in the Army, on a Naval base, on Air Force property. Everything we done was top secret.”
He recalls the danger, mentioning a bullet that whizzed by his ear when an enemy entered his unit’s barracks. He continues to deal with issues from the war and says he “has his good days and bad days.”
David, and many other veterans have such issues, regrettably. Let’s keep them in our thoughts . . . and actions, when possible.
And getting back to the special Wilmore people, local veteran advocate Kelli Oakley said that the planning committee is not finished and hopes to continue some Salute to Service events through December, calling it “exciting.”
Yep, the town of Wilmore could, did . . . and will do.