By John Montesano –
For the past three years, The Voice has allowed me to write a feature story of a military veteran each month. It has been my privilege to obtain and tell these stories. Due to vacation plans, this month’s feature is not about a specific veteran, but rather a retrospective of the Veteran of the Month program. However, my vacation was in Oahu, Hawaii, and the close proximity of the Fourth of July, changed the tone of my article.
The first order of business in Oahu was visiting Pearl Harbor. I toured the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri Battleship, a museum ship moored at Battleship Row, symbols of the beginning and the end of World War II. The USS Missouri, on which Japan surrendered to end WWII, went on to serve in the Korean War in the 1950s and the Gulf War in the 1990s.
These visits made a profound impression on me and gave special meaning to our Independence Day and our veterans. To be present where, perhaps the most significant event in world history began, was deeply profound. It made history real and present. Celebrating the Fourth of July, our Independence Day, just one week later only added to this sense of history and pride.
All of our Veterans of the Month, plus many others who have shared their stories with me, contributed to our freedom, in times of conflict and in times of keeping the peace. The fact that we are celebrating our 242nd year of independence as a free nation is a direct result of our veterans’ sacrifices.
You can visit memorials, monuments, museums, and more, but until you get the veterans’ stories, you will never get a true understanding of our country’s history.
We have heard from men and women from all branches of service; ordinary people from various walks of life. We have shared their stories in time of war, from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and everything in between. We have shared their stories in time of peace which was shadowed much of the time by the ever present Cold War. On land, in the air, on the sea and under the sea, we have been protected by individuals whose lives were interrupted by their service to our country. Regular individuals who pledged their lives to protect our country from our enemies and preserve our freedom.
All of these life stories represent our county’s history, not only military, but civilian. To maintain our strength, our veterans unselfishly performed a service to their country and returned home to fulfill their civilian commitments. They became productive citizens and helped to make this Nation great.
When you celebrate our Independence Day each year, remember to celebrate the many individuals who have allowed us to keep the celebration going. Aloha!