- Contact Us
- (229) 219-7281
- Po Box 5941
- Valdosta, GA 31603
Veterans Memories
Have you ever sat down at your computer wanting to write something and
nothing comes to mind? Well, that has now happened to me. I feel that
something needs to be said but nothing comes to mind. What to do what
to do….think old brain of mine. It has now been some time since
I put down the above question and Honor Flight One has come and gone
but there is one thing for certain, it is not forgotten.
Honor Flight One was one of the best one day trips I have ever taken.
I say taken, it was a gift from the community at no cost to the World
War Two veterans. We were given a T-shirt, cap, disposable camera, hot
breakfast, box lunch, hot dinner, and a chartered flight on a Boeing
737 to Washington, DC to see the memorial built in honor of the WWII
Veterans. The flight was assigned the call sign of Honor Flight One;
someone said that gave us the clearance of military. One thing for certain,
we experienced no delays in getting into and out of Dulles... They parked
us in a sort of secluded area north of the Fed X terminal, which gave
me a feeling of being smuggled in. The three buses arrived one and a
half hours late. Since we had been screened or cleared by security in
Valdosta, we had to remain on the plane so that when the buses did arrive,
we could transfer directly to the buses without further screening. I
heard two stories, one was security held up the buses, and the other
was the buses were sent to Reagan International in error. After we were
on the buses, it was still an hour’s ride to the memorial where
we were welcomed by former Senator Bob Dole and a number of young people
with signs saying, “Thanks”, “Welcome Valdosta”, “We
love you”, etc.
The memorial is huge and very nice with each column bearing the name
of one of the States; Georgia is the second from the left side of the
north (Atlantic) end. Due to the size of the memorial, it can, and did,
handle a lot of visitors since this was Armed Forces Day. I am sure the
number of visitors was quite large today as this is Memorial Day, the
day of writing this. The timing for writing this is even more appropriate.
Each of the greeters that were holding up signs latched onto a veteran
and began to ask questions about WWII, etc. I had a young man who said
he was a history buff but the thing I was telling him was not in the
books. I thought I had a buddy for the day. It was good to experience
young people’s interest and desire to know more about that period
of time. It is hard to relate the feeling that I experienced, a feeling
of proud of what had been accomplished in WWII, a feeling of togetherness
that still existed among the Veterans and a feeling of youngness again
ready to do it all over again but realizing that will be the responsibility
of our present and future generations.
The hardest decision that any President has to make is to send our young
men and women to battle the enemy knowing that some of them will not
be coming home. But that is the price we have to pay to maintain our
freedom that we have enjoyed for so many years. In modern day time we
have not experienced a battle on our homeland. I believe to do so would
completely demoralize our country. We have not experienced bombs and
shells bursting in our homes and causing many deaths. This is why we
must never allow that to happen. We must go to battle to defeat the enemy
and not just push him back to his own boundaries and do it on his own
ground. Deaths do occur in training and in battle. We have incurred 3,400
deaths over the years in Iraq, etc. We lost nearly that many on D-Day
alone in France and over 400,000 in WWII. Those were precious lives,
too precious to lose, but that is the sacrifice we must pay to maintain
our freedom. Someone or some group has to step up to the plate and mold
this country back together, into a oneness like the oneness we experienced
in WWII. The mistake Japan made in 1941 was that they only made us mad
and should have returned and finished the job. But that was to our advantage
as it gave us time to turn our factories around, both big and small,
to producing war machines and not washing machines or automobiles. The
blueprints we had at that time were outdated but it was all we had. While
we were in the process of converting our factories, our military people
were working with others in developing a bigger tank, faster and more
modern aircraft, and ships of all kinds to transport our men and supplies
to parts unknown. Young men were volunteering by the thousands to have
a chance to serve in the branch of service they had chosen rather than
waiting to be drafted. Draft boards had to be set up, rules and regulations
had to be decided on, everyone had to register and be classified and
was assigned a classification. A classification of 4F said you were not
physically able to serve in the military but these same people either
worked on a farm producing food or found some type of job in a factory
that he was able to do. Our country was mad and everyone wanted to fight
Japan and Hitler or help in any way possible. We were like the number
one, we could not be divided. We had neighborhood watches, it was not
known by that name, but if we saw someone wasting anything, they were
reported. We had neighbors who donated their iron fences to go into tanks
and guns. We searched the area, the woods, and the streams for any small
pieces of metal that could be used... Ration books and stamps had to
be issued to everyone limiting each person’s purchasing power.
While some factories were not changed due to the continued need of clothing,
etc., their production was reduced as supplies were hard to find. Time
and a half and double time became common everyday words as factories
were demanding more and more workers. During WWII there were no new models
of automobiles being produced and used cars were very much in demand
to get people to and from work. It is amazing that we were able to convert
our factories into producing war machines in such a short period of time.
From December 7, 1941 to August, 1945, we had made this conversion, did
battle on the enemies’ ground, and preserved our freedom once again
by soundly defeating the enemy. This is the oneness and cooperative spirit
that generation leaves to their offspring, their relatives, their friends
and neighbors.
We need to, today, examine ourselves and our attitudes…..are we
doing all we can do to preserve our freedom that we enjoy each day or
are we stuck on this attitude of greed, and I’m in it for whatever
I can get out of it for me? There is nothing wrong in trying to get the
best for your family but it is wrong while doing that we overlook those
who have run into bad times and need help. These people need a place
to live and a job that will provide him with sufficient income that he
would be welcomed into any neighborhood.. I’m not talking about
those who are not willing to work and have their hand out for more. These
people are to be pitted and helped in some sort of way by training them
to work and change their attitude of living off of handouts. I remember
in the early 30s the government set up programs of WPA and CCC camps
for people who wanted to work but couldn’t find employment. The
TVA project gave jobs to thousands of men by clearing land for the dams
and lakes that would be developed on the Tennessee River. Education facilities
and other public buildings were built by WPA. We can help each other
by changing our attitudes and not just take what we have today for granted.
There is a price to pay and our baby boomers and down must take the lead
into a more appreciable attitude for what 400,000 lives in World War
II was sacrificed to preserve our freedom.
I received this Email which displays the type of attitude referred to
above:
“With all sincerity I am proud of you and we are all grateful to
you guys for providing us a lifestyle that is unprecedented in history.
Those accomplishments are a tribute to what it means to be an American.
Along the way some of our citizens have not participated in sacrificially
giving to contribute to the greatness of America. They have missed opportunities
to have a “Vested Interest” in advancing a cause that is
greater than the needs of one individual. One thing that I believe is
a redeeming factor is that you guys have left a legacy that is ongoing
through the children you have fathered and the values that have come
through to a people that recognize and receive what you have done and
continue to do. That voice of unity and American solidarity is ingrained
in many of your generation’s offspring and will remain alive for
you are an ever present part of our lives. We love and appreciate all
that you and others have done.”
Harold R. Sheppard, Valdosta
Pages |
.:1:. |
.:2:. |
.:3:. |
.:4:. |
