January 2019
On Veterans Day, the com-
munity gathered to honor all
veterans. Mr. Nick Ullrich
gave a moving speech in
honor of the occasion. The
following is being shared with
you to remind all of us of the
true meaning of Veterans Day.
By Nick Ullrich
It is an honor for me to be
able to say a few words this
morning on this the 100th
anniversary of this November
holiday.
By being here today and tak-
ing time to reflect on the ser-
vice and sacrifice of Veterans,
you are demonstrating your
patriotism, and we thank you.
We celebrate this day by
honoring all veterans. That’s
all the men and women who
have worn the uniform of any
of the five branches of the
military. Whether you enlisted,
were drafted or you volun-
teered for the draft, you went
where you were needed, you
did what you were told. You
were taught the value of disci-
pline, hard work, and respect.
I can tell you from personal
experience that serving and
defending our country was the
greatest privilege of my life.
There is no greater honor!
Wherever we are on Veterans
Day, we can do no less than
pause for one small moment
to reflect upon the more than
one million heroes who did
not return to us. Those who
gave what President Lincoln
called “the last full measure
of devotion.” Their ultimate
sacrifice serves as a constant
reminder of the cost of free-
dom and the hope for a safer,
more peaceful world.
Looking back on my own
time in the service, I can only
tell you some of my experi-
ence, and I’m sure there are
others here who can relate. A
friend of mine and I volun-
teered for the draft in the fall
of 1966. We were 19 years
old and tired of waiting every
month for that letter from
“our friends and neighbors”
at the draft board. At least we
had the peace of mind know-
ing we had until Feb. 1st. At
that time we boarded a bus to
Fort Knox for basic training.
At the end of basic, they held
back five men, two of us from
Aurora, out of 254 trainees to
wait for the next graduating
class at which time they sent a
planeload of troops to Ft. Polk,
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Page 9A
ALUTE TO THE MILITARY
Nick Ullrich shared a mov-
ing speech for the Veterans
Day program.
PG Gentrup was an inte-
gral part of the planning of
the event.
Jackie Schornick, Melody Schornick, Marcia Elliott,
and Paul Elliott were presented with a flag to honor the
memory of his service to the veterans.
E.G. and Judge McLaugh-
lin were joined by Paula
Gentrup to honor the
veterans.
LA for infantry training. We
were taken in the pitch black
of night some 70 odd miles in
cattle cars to an area of Ft. Polk
called Tigerland. It was the
perfect place to train for jungle
warfare! After training at Polk
we were sent home for twenty
days leave and then flown
halfway around the world to a
country called Vietnam. When
the doors opened on our jet, the
first thing that hit us was the
overwhelming stench and the
unbearable heat. The combina-
tion literally took your breath
away. I think it was at that mo-
ment that a planeload of G.I’s
thought to themselves, “what
have I gotten myself into”? I
knew this next year was going
to be a long one, and that’s if
I made it through at all. The
only consolation was… you
were not alone. You were with
your brothers. Out in the field,
we were all brothers! It didn’t
matter who you were or where
you came from. There was a
bond between us far greater
than color or religion. You
watch my back, and I’ll watch
yours and maybe, just maybe,
we will make it home. That
was the number one priority
for us all! But it didn’t work
out for everyone. A trip to the
WALL shows that! I’ve been
to the wall a number of times
over the years, and I see their
faces and remember the bond
we had with each other. We
fought in triple canopy jungles,
flooded rice patties, tall el-
ephant grass and the streets of
Saigon during the TET Offen-
Aliana Schornick, Nelson
Elliott’s granddaughter,
stood as the flag was
folded for presentation to
her family.
sive of ’68. WE were brothers.
That’s just a little of my sto-
ry. As I stand here today and
look around me, I see many
veterans from different branch-
es, different eras and all with
their own stories. The young
people of today should take the
time and talk to veterans. Ask
questions and learn from them.
We need to pass down our his-
tory to future generations.
Throughout history, Ameri-
cans have always answered
the call to duty at home and
in distant lands. They saw
civilization threatened and
they rescued it. They saw de-
mocracy challenged and they
defended it. They saw our
rights endangered and they
sought to restore them.
According to historians,
Dwight D. Eisenhower said
that he was prouder of being a
soldier than he was of being the
President of the United States.
Oh, “the times they are a-
changin.” Sadly today there
are fewer than 10% of Ameri-
cans who can claim the title of
“Veteran.” That’s one reason
we should celebrate this day
and honor those who have
contributed so much to the
cause of world peace and the
preservation of our way of life.
I also believe Veterans Day
is a Day for ALL Americans.
The Color Guard stood at
attention during the presen-
tation of wreaths.
I’d personally like to thank
all of the families of veterans
for their support, love, and
understanding. Many of my
generation had a difficult time
trying to readjust to living in
the “real world” again after
returning home from that war.
I know my wife went through
some tough times with me,
and I’m sure other Vet’s wives
and family members can
relate to that as well.
And so my fellow Veterans,
Quinn Burdette learned the
meaning of Veterans Day
from Jerry Bondurant.
let us take this day to thank all
those who are dear to us.
In closing, I’d like to
paraphrase Winston Churchill
when he said – “Never has so
much been owed, by so many,
to so few.”
God bless America, and
God bless those who love,
guard and defend our precious
freedom.
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