Veterans Day by John Conrad

Veterans Day, this eleventh day of November 1999 was not always celebrated by that name. I am sure many of you remember, as I do, when this date was known as Armistice Day, the anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in World War I on November 11, 1918. This date was set aside by agreement of the United States, Great Britain and France as a day of remembrance for those who had given their lives in the first World War. In Canada, November 11 became known as Remembrance Day, and in Great Britain after World War II, it became Remembrance Sunday, celebrated each year on the Sunday nearest November 11, devoted to honoring the dead of both World Wars.

In the United States, on June 1, 1954, after the Korean War, the President signed a congressional resolution designating November 11 as Veterans Day. This day is proclaimed to be an occasion for honoring all veterans, living and dead, of all wars, which is the purpose of our gathering here today.

To honor the veterans of all wars, it is appropriate to remind ourselves of the Americans who served in the colonial and State militias and the Continental Army at the time of the American Revolution; by those in the militias and the Army and Navy during the second war with Great Britain, better known as the War of 1812; and by those who served in the Mexican War of 1848. To remember those who served on both sides in our violent and disruptive Civil War in which it is said that over 500,000 service men were killed or died, more than ever have been lost in any other war; and also to honor those who served in the Spanish-American War of 1898.

This brings us to this century, which will soon end, and the more recent wars in which millions of our men and women have served.

There are only a few living today who served in World War I. The war years were 1917 and 1918. The very youngest would be 98 years old now, based on a 17-year-old born in 1901 who joined the military in 1918.

When the Veterans Memorial here on the courthouse grounds at Williamstown, Grant County, KY was dedicated 15 years ago in 1984, eight World War I veterans are reported as being present. These were Blain Flege, Calvert Hulett, John A. Chapman, Howard Northcutt, Omer Ware, Murphy Hudson, D.L. Sullivan and Roy Fortner. Today, Mr. Flege has attained the age of 103.

The idea of this memorial honoring those who were killed or died during their wartime service and for the wars fought in this century prior to 1984 was developed by Lascal B. Taylor, a retired master sergeant who had served in the Air Force. He served as Chairman of a committee appointed by County Judge B. D. Martin, consisting of J.W. Rich, Royce Adams, Kelly Bruce, Louis Conrad, Terry Conrad, Leroy Drysdale, Ward Evans, Arthur Gordon, Paul King, J. T. Link, Freddie Morgan, Eddie Rogers, Eddie Scroggins and Mike Taylor. They sought and received support for this memorial from hundreds of individuals and all businesses throughout the County.

In addition to naming those veterans who gave their lives in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam, a copper plate attached to the monument states it is dedicated to "all of Grant County's Sons and Daughters who served." It is indeed a fitting and proper memorial, one which all of us may be pleased and proud.

The greatest number of Americans ever in uniform occurred during World War II when nearly 12,000,000 men and women were in the military services. On the home front, nearly half the Gross National Product was devoted to war production; nineteen million more were at work, of which one third were women, than had been working when coming out of the Great Depression. The Surviving veterans are now in their seventies and eighties and Nationally are said to be dying at the rate of one thousand per day. Those who served during this time are paid a great tribute in Tom Brokaw's 1998 book, THE GREATEST GENERATION.

Up through World War II, the wars in which we were involved appear to be separated by an average of about twenty years. But this was to change. The Korean conflict stated in 1950, just five years after the 1945 close of World War II. At the time conquered Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel latitude surrendered to military forces of the Soviet Union and those south of the 38th parallel surrendered to U.S. troops. Beginning in 1949, Communist armed forces began making raids south of the 38th parallel in spite of protest filed by the U.S. and the United Nations. When a major invasion took place it was met by an international force of the United Nations, made up mostly of U.S. troops and equipment. Again, Grant Countians did their share, leading to close of hostilities in 1953. However, we continue to maintain combat ready forces in South Korea.

In 1955, Australia, France, New Zealand, Great Britain, the United States and others entered into Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, better known as SEATO. This treaty extended protection against the spread of communism to the Kingdom of Cambodia and Laos and the Republic of Vietnam, the southern half of the original country that had been partitioned in 1954 from the communist northern half. Beginning in 1959 with U.S. military advisors and trainers of Vietnamese troops to combat communist infiltrators, the situation deteriorated in full-scale war, which did not come to an end until 1975. This long period involved many Americans including Grant Countians, who again did their duty.

The United Sates, as the leader of the free world, has accepted the role of peacekeeper, opposing aggression wherever it may occur. Peacekeeping military operations have been mounted in the Caribbean Islands, in Panama and Africa and presently in Bosnia.

The most extensive peacekeeping operation to date was organized after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. World opinion condemned Iraq, but diplomacy failed to resolve the matter. The United Nations Security Council, with rare unanimity, led by the United States set a date of 15 January 1991 for complete withdrawal of Iraqi forces, which was not done. With 30 nations contributing forces and equipment, but with than half coming from the United States, the shooting war, Desert Storm, began with air strikes on 17 January. The land war began on 24 February. Iraq accepted U.N. demands and withdrew from Kuwait on 26 February 1991. On the next day, the U.S. President ordered the suspension of fighting. An Honor Roll listing Grant County veterans who served in Desert Storm is mounted on the wall in the lower level of the courthouse.

Your attendance here today indicates your willingness to recognize and honor the veterans whose valor and devotion to duty helped preserve our freedom that we enjoy so much. Let us remember those who gave their lives and let us remember the wounded, handicapped or with other permanent scars, and those taken captive or missing in action and never accounted for. And to veterans who are here on this special day let us say "thank you for doing your duty," in acknowledgement of the sacrifices made to maintain the freedoms we enjoy today.

Submitted to this site by Sandra Burbridge and Bonnie Snow.
May 2008.

Beulah Wiley Franks
Grant County Coordinator, KY/ALHN