Yesterday, Trae Arter didn’t have time to catch the college football games or to gather the morning paper waiting on her stoop.
By 7 a.m., the 77-year-old widow from Joliet had plans to visit four cemeteries and decorate hundreds of graves with miniature American flags. All would wave from perfectly straight sticks. None would touch the ground.
Before Nov. 11 was through, Arter, a member of VFW Post No. 367’s women’s auxiliary, expected to cry a little, reminisce a lot and dance like she did 55 years ago.
“It’s going to be a long day, but it’s important that we celebrate,” the great-grandmother said as she prepared for Veterans Day. “Peace is a precious gift and one that we should never take for granted. No one will ever understand what our husbands, brothers and sons gave for this country. Many died. But many also gave up a lot of living so we all could be free.”
For Arter–whose late husband, Emmitt, was a World War II vet–and for millions of other Americans, Nov. 11 is about remembering.
For them, it’s a day of stories and spit-shined shoes, of marching bands and faded photos. It’s a chance to remember fallen comrades and a time to remind us all of the agony of war. It’s 24 hours set aside 41 years ago to remember the millions of Americans who fought in the armed services of the United States.
On June 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation “to honor veterans on the 11th of November of each year, a day dedicated to world peace.”
“There’s a saying–you must first experience the hell of war before you can truly appreciate peace,” said Bill Parker of Bolingbrook, co-founder of In Country Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club. “I only hope no American ever has to experience or see what we did before they’ll believe in giving peace a shot first.”
There are more than 1.2 million Illinois veterans. Nationwide, more than 26.4 million men and women fought in one of the branches of the armed services. All planned to celebrate Saturday a little differently.
Marvin “Pappy” Little, 51, of Lemont, wanted to get out on the open road and ride his Harley. Richard Rynke, 57, of LaSalle, planned to fire one of seven rifles during the 21-gun salute in LaSalle’s Pulaski Park memorial ceremony. Andy Vollmer, a World War II vet, probably headed down to the Kankakee River to do a little fishing.
“A lot of boys didn’t come back from over there,” Vollmer, a 74-year-old retired Caterpillar machinist from Joliet, said a little emotionally. “I love to fish. So I’m gonna damn well do what I love to do, and I’m gonna think about all my friends who didn’t make it home to go fishing with me.”
Originally called Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I, Veterans Day carries emotional impact for many veterans and their families.
“The older I get, the more sentimental I become about Veterans Day,” said Tony Carmen, 73, of Homer Township. “The funerals now come more and more frequently. I’m grateful to have seen my children have children and my grandchildren have children. After all these years, it’s easier to recognize the tragedy of war and the sacrifice those that didn’t come home gave for our liberty.
“Freedom is far from free,” the former World War II fighter pilot explained. “The price is the countless children who never knew a father or grandfather. And the guys who never had a chance to hear a child call them Daddy or Grandpa.”
Whether involved in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans or the American Legion, all veterans interviewed seemed to voice one common thought: They couldn’t make it without the veterans’ group they joined.
“There are more than 4,300 (local veterans organizations) throughout the state,” Mark Hurley, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, said from his office in Springfield. “Our veterans get involved in countless projects. Whether building memorials, burying deceased veterans or helping children, our veterans are extremely active in Illinois, and those 4,300 local posts play an important role in their lives.”
For Jerry Schoppe, 54, of Plainfield, the VFW wasn’t only a way to cope after returning from war. It was an invitation to come home.
After only two days in Vietnam in October of 1967, Schoppe received a letter from his father, a decorated World War II veteran who pulled two young children from a burning building while serving in France.
Inside the letter was a short note and an application for the Joliet VFW. “It was my dad’s way of saying get done with what you have to do over there and get your butt home,” said the supply supervisor for the Joliet Correctional Center.
Schoppe filled out the application and mailed it back within an hour of receiving it. He has been an active VFW member ever since.
“For me, the VFW is about friendship and camaraderie,” said the father of two and grandfather of seven. “It doesn’t matter if you were a lieutenant colonel or a staff-sergeant or which war or where you served. These guys were all there, and they can relate. Sometimes you don’t even have to say anything. They understand where you’re at and what you’re going through.
“A lot of folks know us for Friday night fish dinners and a good place to host a wedding, but the VFW is so much more. It’s what keeps a lot of these guys going,” Schoppe said.
John “Handlebars” Beckham co-founded the In Country Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club three years ago for the same reason.
“We’ve witnessed some of the worst things people can do to other people and especially to children,” said the 49-year-old from Joliet. “It’s almost impossible to talk about if you weren’t there. That’s why the club is so important. After going through what we’ve gone through, you need a place to vent.”
Like a lot of groups, the In Country Veterans are dedicated to community service. Members, just under a hundred scattered throughout Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, ride in dozens of Toys for Tots motorcycle runs, raffle off bikes and sides of beef, and donate wheelchairs and supplies to the Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno.
Said Pat Essington, a volunteer coordinator for the home, “They look pretty rough and tough when they roll in the driveway, but there are few groups as compassionate and dedicated as the In Country guys.
“Whether it’s raising funds for wheelchairs, collecting toiletries and aftershave or just sitting with our disabled vets, these guys are making a difference down here.”
“You come back from war a different person,” Beckham said. “You’re less innocent and a lot wiser. You naturally just want to help others out, especially children and vets who are less fortunate.
“That’s what we’re all about,” he said. “All the guys love to get out and ride (motorcycles). We all want to help others, and we were all over there and saw things we’ll never be able to forget.”
For many veterans, getting involved in veterans groups isn’t just about community service and camaraderie. It’s about rekindling what many feel is a loss of patriotism in America.
“I wish I could take every young person on a tour of Hines (veterans hospital) in Chicago,” said Dan Martellotta, 58, of Oak Park, who served aboard the U.S. Coral Sea during the Korean War. “I’d introduce them to some disabled veterans and show them the psych(iatric) floors. Then they’d understand the price of freedom. It’s a high price to pay.”
Schoppe agrees. “Maybe it’s our fault as parents, but young people today definitely have lost a sense of respect for our country and our flag. It’s truly sad,” he said.
Arter, who goes around to kindergarten classes speaking about patriotism, is quick to disagree.
“America is just like a small child,” said Arter, who as VFW Post No. 367 Americanism chairman talks to children and others about America, how to handle the flag and patriotism. “As a country, we go through phases. But no matter what is going on, when it comes right down to it, Americans are patriotic at heart. You can see it in the eyes of those 5-year-olds. Our job is to remind them of the sacrifices all our veterans made for them.”
St. Joseph Catholic School in Joliet is one of Arter’s stops. Said Principal Bill Ferguson, “It’s an old but true cliche. If you don’t understand history, you’re going to relive it. That’s why Trae and the VFW are so important to us. They replace our old flags, they donated our liberty shrine and they’re in our classrooms.
“It’s important for the kids to have a quality outside source. On TV they see (Arnold) Schwarzenegger blowing up 200 guys and they don’t understand the reality and the tragedy of war. Trae comes in and she’s like a grandmother and she tells how it was. We need more folks like her volunteering in our classrooms.”
Vollmer feels there’s a sad irony about being a veteran. All the pain and suffering went for little or no real gain, he said.
“To me, war solves nothing–never has, never will,” the World War II machine gunner said. “We have to drill into our young people one simple message: No one truly wins in a war.”
