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 In its third year, the annual event saw its largest
turnout ever with several veterans that included three women, and
three veteran widows who came for a great breakfast, cooked up by
members of the church.
The morning began with the arrival of a large group, chauffeured by
Chaplain Ryan Edgecombe of the Christian Village. Others arrived on
their own or accompanied by family members.
Before the volunteers began serving breakfast,
organizer Marsha Fernandes noted that this year the church had
received a generous donation from the Bob Graue Marine Corp League,
led by Jim Harnacke. Later in the day, Harnacke would comment that
he had been very excited about the breakfast honoring fellow
soldiers of all branches and ranks. However, in the first two years,
he had been concerned by the lack of Marines on hand for the event.
He said, he had made it a personal goal to bring more Marines to
this year’s event, and had succeeded with several in attendance.
Guests were met at the door by church volunteers
including Pastor LC Sutton, Fernandes, and others. Each guest was
pinned with a boutonniere/corsage and seated.
As everyone settled in, church member Gil Turner welcomed all. He
noted, “It is one thing to write a declaration of independence, it
is another thing to make it happen. The reason we are free in this
country is because you guys picked up a rifle or a weapon, or
whatever your job was in the military, so that we could come here
and worship independently, and have freedom of speech. You men and
women had the courage to step forward and serve our country, so on
behalf of all of us, we want to say thank you very much.”
He went on to note that this year the church had made an extra
effort to invite widows of veterans. He noted that the wives and
families left behind when men went to war sacrificed for their
country as well, and they deserved equal appreciation for their
contribution to freedom in our country.
Turner also thanked the Marines for their support, as well as others
who contributed to the day monetarily and through service.
The group was asked to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance to the
American flag, followed by an invocation delivered by Pastor Sutton.
In his prayer Pastor Sutton noted the example of sacrifice provided
through Christ who for the sake of many gave his life so that we
could be free from the bondage of sin. He compared the veterans to
Christ, who followed a Godly example in sacrificing, some even
giving the ultimate sacrifice, for the safety of our country.
Guests were then served breakfast. Those who were
able went through the buffet line, while others had plates prepared
for them and delivered to their place at the table.
Breakfast included generous servings of bacon, sausage, eggs,
pancakes, and biscuits and gravy with orange juice or coffee served
as the beverages.
As breakfast neared completion, an all-male trio from Lincoln
Christian University provided patriotic music. Singers included
Jacob Bergman, Ben South and Graham Hill.
The trio performed God Bless American and My Country
Tis of Thee.
After the music, Fernandes, who is the founding organizer of the
annual event thanked everyone for coming, and thanked them for their
service. She then asked that each guest introduce him or herself and
tell about their time in the service.
Each person was assisted by volunteer and veteran Bill Dennis.
One of the three female veterans, Gladys Edwards
served in the Navy during World War II. She was a Hospital
Apprentice, helping the sick and wounded.
Lea McEntire was a Navy W.A.V.E., doing paperwork in
the medical and surgical departments, and she noted that she was
blessed to have been permitted the opportunity to go on a Land of
Lincoln Honor Flight.
The third, Michelle Ramlow, is the post commander of the Cronin
Brothers VFW in Lincoln. She served 23 years in the Navy, and
guessed she might be the youngest veteran on hand. Ramlow remembered
her grandfather Emil, who passed away in October. She said he was a
veteran who had inspired her to serve her country. She also noted
that she was a third generation soldier, with her grandfather, her
father, and herself all serving.
Ramlow also recognized the other two female veterans, thanking them
for helping to pave the way for all women soldiers. She retired as a
Navy Chief, something of which she is very proud.
LaVerl Carrington, U.S. Army in World War II veteran said he spent a
lot of time working and training soldiers with a loss of hearing. He
noted, “We did a fantastic good job over there.”
Joe Schaler served in the Marine Corp in Vietnam. Schaler has worked
locally to establish the Logan County Veteran Assistance Commission,
leads a local chapter of the Order of the Purple Heart, and was
instrumental in Logan County becoming the first county in the United
States to have every community declared as a Purple Heart Community
in June of this year.
John Harnacke served the Navy in 1960 to 1965. He worked on engines
and also flew over the Atlantic looking for submarines.
Also on hand was John’s son Jim, a Marine and a second generation
solider. He noted that his father had raised two soldiers, Jim and
his brother, and had also mentored a grandson. Jim’s son is the
third generation to serve and has been in the service for the past
ten years.
Dean May entertained the group saying, “I didn’t do anything but win
that war.” He went on to explain that he did his tour and
immediately after he left, “they decided to quit.”
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Harold Krusemark noted he served in World War II in
Europe, and after his tour, he maintained as a reserve, and was
called back to war in Korea. Harold is 96 years old, and possibly
the oldest veteran in the room.
Ron Craig, Vietnam in 1965 and 1966, was an air cab door gunner, and
the recipient of the Purple Heart Medal. Craig was accompanied by
his son Miles Craig, who is currently running for Logan County
Sheriff. Miles Craig thanked the veterans for their service.
Roland Brown was a career Navy veteran. He served in
Vietnam, California, Spain, London, New Orleans, Scotland and New
Mexico. He noted he spent a lot of time with Marines. He added,
“There were always too many of them when you wanted to go to chow,
and too many of them when you wanted to get off and go to liberty,
and too many when you tried to come back. But when the do-do hit the
fan, there were never enough.”
Dale Rogers, whose father was Baxter Rogers of Beason, spoke. “I
just want to thank all of you service men here today. There is so
much history in this room, it is overwhelming. My dad was in World
War II, he flew on B-17’s and bombed Germany. Listening to all you
guys is just overwhelming.” Roger’s would continue on saying that he
too wanted to work on aircraft. He had enlisted, but never saw
action. He did serve, working on aircraft, and he said while he
never saw action, he saw plenty of blood in the aircraft that came
back to him. This was during the Vietnam War and he noted, “It
brought tears to my eyes.”
There were three widows in the room on Saturday. Kay
Thompson’s husband Bob was a Seabee, serving in Okinawa.
Alice Turner was married to Marvin Turner. She said she and Marvin
were married in February, and he left her in October for service to
his country. Eleven months later, he shipped out of training into
Korea.
Turner noted that she personally is a proud member of the American
Legion Auxiliary and has been for 65 years. She said her Legion
Auxiliary had slowly died down, so for the past 14 years, she has
been the sole member. She added that she was pleased to share that
on Poppy Day she sold $465, with only $35 coming from the help of
others.
Marian Thompson was married to James Thompson. James and Marian met
and married after his tour of duty. She said he didn’t talk a great
deal about his military service, so she couldn’t say for certain
what he did. She noted that he did have photos of exchanges of
prisoners, and also had photos of the signing of the treaty.
Two members of the Logan County Sheriff’s office were on hand, one
of which was a veteran who served in the Army Reserves. He worked in
maintenance recovery.
Also on hand was Logan County Deputy Sheriff and Sheriff Candidate
Mark Landers. Landers is a veteran who served in the Army from 1986
to 1994 in Europe. He also served in the Air National Guard from
2006 to 2013.
Wayne Boatman joined the Airforce in 1969. He wanted to train as a
pilot, but was unable to due to medical issues. He said he came home
and was told that he would hear from the Army, but he never did. He
said today, he is more proud of his sons. His oldest son was in the
Navy and served in Dessert Storm. His youngest son is in the Air
Force, and just left for the Middle East.
One veteran noted that he enlisted prior to the Korean Conflict. He
served his term, but when his tour was over, he was not discharged.
They kept him as an enlisted on reserve in case the war did break
out.
One solider noted that he served in 1948 to 1951, and had lied about
his age so he could enlist.
Another soldier who served in Vietnam said he had the best job ever
as a parachute rigger. He brought a chuckle to the group when he
quipped, “No one messes with the parachute rigger.”
Bill Dennis was also called on to introduce himself. Dennis said he
proudly served in the Marines from 1962 to 1966. He said he was
proud to serve, and would go back again tomorrow.
Many others in the room introduced themselves, telling the years and
branches they served in. Some talked only briefly about the duties
they performed. In this group today, the majority of the veteran’s
served in either World War II or Vietnam.
Fernandez noted that it was an emotional day around the room. She
expressed a final thank you to all those who had served their
country. She added that her father was in Iwo Jima, her brother was
in Vietnam, and she has a son-in-law who is serving as well, all
three in the Marine Corp.
Chaplain Edgecombe then read a list of residents of Christian
Village, all veterans, who had passed away since the breakfast last
year.
Roger Bay
Stanley Boughan
Richard Ferguson
George David Fletcher
Kenny French
Vernon Gehlbach
Samuel Hodge
Leo Justice
Johnny Kapik
Raymond Kindred
Kenneth Kinney
Tom McCurry
Howard Moldenhauer
James Moriearty
John Organtini
Robert Punty
Emil Ramlow
Anna Louis Shockey
Henry Steiger
Harold Stout
Larry Thomas
Don Ward
Following the reading, Edgecombe offered a prayer of thanksgiving
for those who gave their lives, and also for those who served, and
returned home to their families.
As the day approached completion, Dennis offered each of the
attendees a special gift. He told a story that during World War I an
American pilot was shot down behind the enemy line and was captured
by the Germans.
In capture, the Germans took everything that he had,
right down to his clothing with one exception. He carried a
Challenge Coin issued by the Marines. The solider knew that he had
to escape. He did so, but knew that the French resistance was
suspicious of everyone. He worried that he would not be able to
explain to them that he was a friend.
Sure enough, that day came, the French encountered the escaped
American, and they were prepared to kill him, but it was the
Challenge Coin that saved him. He tried and tried to tell them he
was an American, and ally, but the guns were aimed at him. Then the
French soldiers saw the coin and lowered their weapons.
Dennis said the coin is a symbol of the Marines. With the local
Marine Corp having adopted the Eminence Veteran’s Breakfast, he said
he wanted to give each person a Challenge Coin.
Pastor Sutton ended the day with the reading of Ephesians 6:14-17 as
the closing prayer. It is also the scripture referenced on the coin.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet
fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you
can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God.”
[Nila Smith] |
