Post by blackcrowheart on Nov 6, 2006 21:23:05 GMT -5
Have you ever asked a Veteran?
Wambli Sina Win 10/28/2006
Commentary
Have you ever gazed at the splendor of sunrise or bathed within the sun’s first rays? Have you pondered nature’s lullaby within a day’s perfect sunset? Perhaps there are a few blessed souls who take time within their busy lives to find a moment to savor and appreciate the simple blessings of life.
Recently I met one of these blessed souls. Over coffee, he told me his name, Douglas W. Penny. I was surprised to discover that this proud “giant” of a man was so soft spoken and humble. Over the years, one of the things I’ve learned is that a hero is never recognized at first glance. When Douglas and I spoke, he told me about the hardships in his youth and finally about his experience in Viet Nam. As he reminisced about days long past, I could tell that he was proud of his service to his country. I noticed the hat he wore and the medals pinned on the hat band. When I asked about them, his face changed. Douglas got quieter and he seemed deep in thought. After awhile, he told me that the insignia, the Screaming Eagles, was earned for serving two tours of duty in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in 1968 and 1969. His two medals included a Purple Heart for injuries and a Bronze Star for saving lives.
Douglas, in his soft country drawl, revealed an unselfish man who loves his country so much that he’d willingly bear the injuries and scars for the rest of his life. I pressed Douglas for details and I found out that he earned the Bronze Star during a heated firefight when he risked his life to save the lives of his men. I told Douglas, “You’re a hero!” He looked at me and said, “No, they depended on me. I was their leader and it was my job to keep them alive.” Douglas also earned a Purple Heart. He was injured twice during the first tour of duty but went back for a second tour when he suffered the most serious injuries.
COMMENTARY
After talking to Douglas Penny, I asked another veteran what he thought about Veteran’s Day. He answered me in a round about way: “It’s really the moments between sunrise and sunset that matter the most.” This provoked a thought within me about how we treat our veterans. In the beginning, during the sunrise of their youth, our handsome young soldiers go off to war. Those who return may be greeted with parades or parties, while others go quietly home. All who serve this country deserve to be honored for their sacrifices, but certain soldiers are awarded medals and ribbons for heroic acts: the Congressional Medals of Honor, the Distinguished Service Crosses, the Navy Crosses for the Marine Corps, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, or Bronze Stars.
Once the confetti settles, the bands quit playing and the glamour is gone, what is left?
For only one day out of the year, on Veteran’s Day, we honor our heroes, our veterans.
This seems pitifully inadequate because our veterans are everywhere. They are our grandparents, our fathers, our mothers, our aunts, our uncles, our brothers, our sisters and our neighbors. We may not realize it but it is a fortunate few who return home unscathed from war.
Too many veterans who were valued and appreciated in time of war are now lonely and forgotten in the sunset of their years.
It’s time we started paying attention to the Douglas Pennys and all our veterans, for they truly are the “blessings of life” that we take for granted. We must remember too that it is “the moments between sunrise and sunset that matter the most.” What can we do? Once our veterans come home, we owe it to them and to ourselves to reintegrate them into our communities in a meaningful way. Many of our veterans have a lifetime of wisdom, knowledge, leadership and organizational skills that they can share with us if we just ask them. At the very least, let us tell them they are needed. We must express our love and appreciation to our elderly veterans while they can still hear it. What use are words of love spoken at a gravesite eulogy after a loved one is gone?
Wambli Sina Win
(Eagle Shawl Woman)
Park Hill, Oklahoma
Wambli Sina Win 10/28/2006
Commentary
Have you ever gazed at the splendor of sunrise or bathed within the sun’s first rays? Have you pondered nature’s lullaby within a day’s perfect sunset? Perhaps there are a few blessed souls who take time within their busy lives to find a moment to savor and appreciate the simple blessings of life.
Recently I met one of these blessed souls. Over coffee, he told me his name, Douglas W. Penny. I was surprised to discover that this proud “giant” of a man was so soft spoken and humble. Over the years, one of the things I’ve learned is that a hero is never recognized at first glance. When Douglas and I spoke, he told me about the hardships in his youth and finally about his experience in Viet Nam. As he reminisced about days long past, I could tell that he was proud of his service to his country. I noticed the hat he wore and the medals pinned on the hat band. When I asked about them, his face changed. Douglas got quieter and he seemed deep in thought. After awhile, he told me that the insignia, the Screaming Eagles, was earned for serving two tours of duty in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in 1968 and 1969. His two medals included a Purple Heart for injuries and a Bronze Star for saving lives.
Douglas, in his soft country drawl, revealed an unselfish man who loves his country so much that he’d willingly bear the injuries and scars for the rest of his life. I pressed Douglas for details and I found out that he earned the Bronze Star during a heated firefight when he risked his life to save the lives of his men. I told Douglas, “You’re a hero!” He looked at me and said, “No, they depended on me. I was their leader and it was my job to keep them alive.” Douglas also earned a Purple Heart. He was injured twice during the first tour of duty but went back for a second tour when he suffered the most serious injuries.
COMMENTARY
After talking to Douglas Penny, I asked another veteran what he thought about Veteran’s Day. He answered me in a round about way: “It’s really the moments between sunrise and sunset that matter the most.” This provoked a thought within me about how we treat our veterans. In the beginning, during the sunrise of their youth, our handsome young soldiers go off to war. Those who return may be greeted with parades or parties, while others go quietly home. All who serve this country deserve to be honored for their sacrifices, but certain soldiers are awarded medals and ribbons for heroic acts: the Congressional Medals of Honor, the Distinguished Service Crosses, the Navy Crosses for the Marine Corps, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, or Bronze Stars.
Once the confetti settles, the bands quit playing and the glamour is gone, what is left?
For only one day out of the year, on Veteran’s Day, we honor our heroes, our veterans.
This seems pitifully inadequate because our veterans are everywhere. They are our grandparents, our fathers, our mothers, our aunts, our uncles, our brothers, our sisters and our neighbors. We may not realize it but it is a fortunate few who return home unscathed from war.
Too many veterans who were valued and appreciated in time of war are now lonely and forgotten in the sunset of their years.
It’s time we started paying attention to the Douglas Pennys and all our veterans, for they truly are the “blessings of life” that we take for granted. We must remember too that it is “the moments between sunrise and sunset that matter the most.” What can we do? Once our veterans come home, we owe it to them and to ourselves to reintegrate them into our communities in a meaningful way. Many of our veterans have a lifetime of wisdom, knowledge, leadership and organizational skills that they can share with us if we just ask them. At the very least, let us tell them they are needed. We must express our love and appreciation to our elderly veterans while they can still hear it. What use are words of love spoken at a gravesite eulogy after a loved one is gone?
Wambli Sina Win
(Eagle Shawl Woman)
Park Hill, Oklahoma