As the country observes the “summer holidays” such as Memorial Day, Flag Day and the approaching Fourth of July, the Telegraph sat down with five Veterans at the Village Cooperative of Verona Hills to talk about their lives, community, freedom and much more.
Last month, members of the Village Co-op of Verona Hills observed – in their annual tradition for the past five years – Memorial Day with a ceremony where the American flag is put at half-staff, trumpets play Echo Taps and the veterans don red shirts.
This time seated in their red shirts, they discussed what days like Memorial Day and Flag day mean to them.
Bill Wright, who served in the army for 20 years as a reservist and says he misses it, and who also organized the most recent Memorial Day presentation at the Co-op, was raised with the attitude that these are all very special days to take time and honor different things.
Tom Reagan, who spent over 36 years serving in the military as a legal administrator and later a local teacher for 43 years, found these days important to Veterans.
“Those are special days for us. Also, it’s a kind of camaraderie. Not everybody participates [at the Village Co-op] per se, it’s just us and we’re a special group,” Reagan said.
This “special group,” that meets roughly every three months and whose main responsibility is flag protocol, have taken the time to get to know each other and learn about each other’s stories. Don Green, has 21 years of active duty under his belt, served two volunteer tours in Vietnam and is responsible for getting the guys together. He looks upon the group fondly.
“We started off with about a dozen people and it grew to about 15 to 20,” Green told the Telegraph. “I look on my group of friends as special friends who served in a very special capacity, representing themselves, the United States and military services, and they will forever be my friends.”
As the conversation continued, the veterans ended up on the topic of freedom and what it means. Richard “Dick” Biery, is a physician that served in Vietnam and later as the Commissioner of Health for Kansas City. He shared his unique perspective on the subject.
“I think with freedom comes responsibility in terms of integrity, conduct and compassion. We live in a free country [where we are known for] watching over fellow citizens,” Biery said. “ I think it’s easy for freedom to slide into selfishness. You can’t be selfish if you have certain freedoms.”
Green joined in, “ I think the saying that goes with freedom is “Freedom is not free. It’s a perfect example of why we exist: to protect that freedom. We’re here to try to defend that.”
In recent years, some military branches of the United States Armed Forces experience failure to meet recruiting goals as families become less likely to urge their children to enlist. Some of the veterans at Verona Hills expressed concerns about this fact and find it frightening that civilians are becoming less likely to volunteer to serve.
“I think it makes you a better person.” Green said. “You gain respect for what other people do and have respect for those who did it.”
“Those of us that were in the military, one way or another, have a certain discipline added to our lives that stays with you the rest of your life. A discipline that other people don’t have,” Reagan said.
Even Ken Davis, a Marine helicopter pilot in Vietnam who earned a Quilt of Valor, recalls the day he was sworn in.
“On my day when I raised my right hand to be sworn in and protect the Constitution, I presumed it meant for the rest of my life,” Davis stated.
“Often the military can be an advantage to a career. It teaches you a skill. More than one skill, sometimes, that people can carry out into civilian life,” Biery added.
As the men joked and chatted about why serving in the military was such an pivotal experience for them and how much they missed it, they mentioned that if they had the chance they would do it all over again.
“In a skinny minute,” Wright said.
The veterans at Verona Hills also collect donations to give to the Veterans Community project, which is something else the group of guys bond over.
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