NaBloPoMo DAY 11:
Kovach, left, with a Paralyzed Veterans of America colleague.
In honor of Veterans Day, I want to recognize some veterans I’ve had the privilege of interviewing in the past year or so. Honored as Local Heroes, these are men who served in the Marines, the Navy and the Army. They fought with valor and dignity.
First up, the Montford Point Marines, who embody true heroism. World War II was the first time African Americans were permitted to enlist in the military and fight for their country. The Marines I interviewed were among the first African American men to take part, but in the process of doing so, they faced racism, prejudice and overall, poor treatment.
Montford Point Marine, J.T. Inge
As Retired Gunnery Sergeant J.T. Inge, the grandson of slaves, explains, “Slavery produced a by-product that stigmatized blacks. Blacks were considered to have strong backs and weak minds. We couldn’t think. We needed to be told everything that needed to be done. There was a resentment that this was an elite society preserved for whites only and that’s what happened in the Marine Corps. From 1775, when the Marine Corps was organized, it was an all-white, elite fighting unit, and there was a resentment from people who felt you were invading their territory.”
Next is Al Kovach, Jr., a former Navy SEAL who is now a quadriplegic. He’s also the current president of the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
“I volunteered to serve my country in a camouflage uniform,” he explains. “Once I got paralyzed, my uniform changed. I’m wearing a suit and I’m in a wheelchair but I’m still serving my country by taking care of my veterans. So it’s rewarding to see people that were once in the military, but are now wearing suits and in wheelchairs, still in that mindset of serving their country. Like me, they’re now doing it in a different way.”
Finally, Sy Brenner, who served in he 410th Infantry regiment of the 103rd Division, and who still has vivid memories of the night he was taken prisoner by the Nazis and the fear he had that the Nazis would discover his Jewish identity. The experience of being in a prison camp for nine months led to his PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), which he wouldn’t discover he had until 40 years after the war ended. Brenner survived imprisonment without food or water, by eating snow. He is a recipient of a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a Combat Medic Medal.
POW & Purple Heart recipient, Sy Brenner
“When I returned from war, they called it ‘Battle Fatigue,’” he says of his PTSD. “And the first order that I had was not to talk about it. You were given orders that you cannot even tell your family what you did when you were a prisoner. I found out from the other men that they had signed papers that they wouldn’t talk about it, which was the worst thing they could’ve done because we all kept it bottled up inside of us all those years”
I encourage you to click on the links on their names and read their stories. You’ll see how their courage and fortitude make them Local Heroes on this day and everyday. To all veterans everywhere, thank you for your service.
Note: This month, I’m taking part in NaBloPoMo. Thirty days, 30 posts. 11 days and counting!
Thank you for reading! Don’t forget to comment for your chance to win an Amazon gift card. It’s not much, only $20, but it’s my way of showing you how thankful I am to receive your comments/encouragement as I strive to meet the NaBoPoMo challenge. Besides, it’s the thought that counts. Speaking of counting, leaving multiple comments in one post doesn’t count, or rather, counts as one entry. Get it? One entry per post!
Monica's Tangled Web 
Wow, you have interviewed some mighty fine guys, Monica. Happy Veteran’s Day, my friend.
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
Yes, I agree. I feel lucky to be able to have the opportunity to talk to some very inspiring people who do great things. 🙂
I love this one! Thank you
Thanks, Val. I appreciate you stopping by!
What a lovely post Monica. We owe our veterans so much. My oldest recently participated in a school essay competition about why we value our veterans. It was an opening for a great conversation and she did a great job.
Going strong with the posts! I love it.
Thanks, MM. What a wonderful opportunity that homework assignment gave you and your daughter. I’m sure it was a most fruitful and educational discussion.
As for the daily posting, in a way it gets easier. Somehow doing it everyday gives me new ideas for future posts. I’m constantly thinking, will this make a good post? I’m coming up with ideas for posts that would never have occurred to me a month ago.
I think you sort of get in the mode, don’t you? which is why an exercise such as this, is really fantastic, if you can do it. That’s where I would like to be; in that continuous blogging mode, coming up with ideas all the time. Not only is it fun, it keeps you challenged.
I’m enjoying your posts, and I hope Adele does more.
Actually, MM, Adele has one or two more planned for this month or early December. Stay tuned!
This is such a nice post, a beautiful tribute. My father was a career military man and my two sisters and I grew up as “military brats” and lived all over the world. My father was a veteran of three wars and is buried in the Court of Honor at Mt. Vernon in Sacramento. It’s such a moving holiday and it’s wonderful you wrote such a great post today.
Your father was a true hero. I am grateful to all who serve with valor. It is their service that allows us to move freely about and go about the business of living our lives. Thank you for sharing your dad’s story. Lovely.
Nice post, Monica. Veterans know the meaning of true sacrifice.
Hmmm…folk aren’t trying to cheat to get that Amazon card, are they?
Well, Totsy, let’s just say, I’m keeping my eye on it to make sure no cheating, no hanky panky, etc. So, tell me, how you holding up with all the daily blogging and stuff?
It has gotten easier. Initially, I had to force myself to write. Today, I was thinking the quality has to be better than yesterday. Overall, not too bad now. What about you?
It certainly takes more time, but it’s a bit easier than I anticipated. Maybe I’m just getting the hang of it. Who knows?
We owe all our veterans so much for their unselfish service — thank you for sharing the stories of these local heroes.
We certainly do. When you get a chance, I hope you’ll take time to read their stories. What they’ve done for us and for our country is deserving of our eternal gratitude.
We had a 2 minute silence here in the UK at 11am.
Even though I was on my own I observed that silence.
Good for you, Robert. There’s been quite a bit of coverage here in the States about how you are celebrating Armistice Day and the upwards of 800,000 ceramic poppies surrounding the Tower of London. What a sight.
Yes I gather they are being offered for sale when they are all removed to raise money for service charaties.
it’s 100 years this year of course from the date of the outbreak of WW1. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that since the end of WW2 there has been a war somewhere in the world every day since. How accurate that is I hove no idea, but it’s a sobering thought.
I’ve heard that somewhere, too. I believe it.
Thank you for sharing these stories. These men truly are heroes.
Definitely. Lisa, I was so impressed with their courage and conviction. No regrets. Even the Montford Point Marines, who faced so much discrimination, said they’d do it all over again, because they learned so much from the experience. They hold no grudges. Amazing men.
Thank you for introducing these heroes, our heroes to us.
Thanks, Georgette. Their stories are incredible, and it is thanks to their bravery that you and I can live so freely.