“Thank You For Your Service” – a Group Post on Veterans Day.

Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day, honoring the temporary end of World War I, which officially took effect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill changing the name to Veterans Day to honor all American veterans from all wars.

Memorial Day, celebrated on the last Monday in May, honors those who died in service, while Veterans Day honors ALL who served, living or dead.

Veterans swore an allegiance not to a person or politician, but to the Constitution of the United States.

The U.S. Armed Forces has six branches: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force. (The first five also have Reserve branches; part-time service members, many of whom are former active-duty troops.)

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We at The Writers In Residence would like to honor our Veterans by sharing answers to one of the following questions.

1. Share the name and a short memory of a veteran or service member in your family (past or present).
2. Do you have a favorite movie, book, or story that features a veteran?
3. If you could ask a veteran one respectful question about their experience, what would it be?

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LINDA O JOHNSON: I’m sharing the name and memory of a veteran who was very dear to me, my father, Steve Osgood.

My dad was a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army in Europe. He was proud of his service, though he didn’t talk about it much.  When he did, though, it was fascinating. For one thing, he was awarded a Bronze Star for his valor during the Battle of the Bulge.

Years later, I worked for him, writing ads and doing public relations at his advertising agency. He’s been gone for a while, and I miss him. But I’ll always be proud of him.

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MAGGIE KING: My brother, Lt. Colonel Ed Gabler, fulfilled two tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star. During his long career as an NJ Deputy Attorney General, he served in the Army Reserves. Sadly, we lost Eddie in 2010.

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GAYLE BARTOS POOL: America recognizes many holidays that celebrate what not only made America the country it is in the first place but also what keeps it strong. Independence Day got the ball rolling, and then Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and U.S. Armed Forces Day celebrate those who not only served to keep America great but also honor those who died in the service of our great country.

I have many family members who contributed to this marvelous quest to keep America the strong, powerful country it is. First is my grandfather, Charles Miro Bartos, who was born on the Fourth of July. It took years before I figured out that all the fireworks and parties weren’t just for good, ol’ gramps. He was a wonderful, learned man who taught me many things about this country and its future based on all the books he read and his own common sense.

Then there’s my dad, Major Ralph M. Bartos, who served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and the Korean War, flying a troop carrier plane to the places our soldiers needed to be in wartime. His plane didn’t have machine guns to ward off the enemy. He had to maneuver his plane around the attack planes in the air to get those troops to and from the battlefields. Around 1947, the Air Corps was separated from the regular Army, and Dad went on to serve for another fifteen years in the Air Force. He handled a little plane called the RF-101 Voodoo when we were stationed in France. The “F” version of the plane was for Fighter. It had anti-aircraft guns mounted on it. The “R” version was for Reconnaissance. These were aerial recon planes. Spy Planes. That’s what my dad handled. And you wonder why I wrote three spy novels…

My cousin Jim Mudrow was a Marine and served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War.

My husband’s brother, Thomas J. Pool, also served as a Marine during the Vietnam War. Tommy died over there. His name is on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. God bless him.

So, I keep all these dates in my mind and heart and celebrate them every year. We wouldn’t be America the Beautiful without those who did so much for our country. God Bless America!

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JACKIE HOUCHIN: My father, Robert Welty Love, served in the U.S. Coast Guard; my oldest brother, Tom Love, was in the US Army, and my youngest brother, Jim Love, was also in the U.S. Army in Okinawa, in the codes dept. All served in peacetime and returned to live full lives, thank God.

Question #2: One author, Mark de Castrique, wrote a series of books featuring Sam Blackman, who was a Chief Warrant Officer in the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the U.S. military. He lost a leg in Iraq. While in the military hospital in North Carolina, a fellow amputee challenges him to become a criminal investigator in civilian life. He puts aside his anger and becomes a top investigator and the hero in nine novels. The series is a bit dark, but you may like Sam’s push for justice in any case he gets.

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MIKO JOHNSTON: I can’t single out a person to honor, so I’ll thank every veteran who fought for freedom, against tyranny, and made the world a little safer. For those who fought in the American Revolution, who won our independence; To the men and women who battled fascism in WW2; A belated apology to the Vietnam vets, who were treated so poorly both on the battlefield and when they returned home; To all who have fought justly for a just cause, we remember you with gratitude.

ROSEMARY LORD: I have such respect  and gratitude for our military. I have the privilege of working with some of them at The Hollywood American Legion  through the Woman’s Club. Over the years I have been able to host the army, navy, marines and airforce for different events and had some wonderful medal ceremonies there with Generals and Admirals from the Pentagon. I love to be able to thank them all for their service.

I am a “navy brat.” Our maternal grandfather was in the Merchant Navy and served in World War 1. Our dad was in the Royal Navy and served in World War II. He was away a lot when my older siblings were little. We moved around a lot, too. But I was very happy when Dad was stationed on the island of Malta, where we able to live with him.  It was sunny all the time and we had grapes growing in the garden!

Dad was very shy and rarely spoke of his time in the navy, especially during World War II. Our oldest brother Peter told me that Dad had  been quite a hero – but never thought of it that way. He was just “doing his job.”

It was during World War II and Dad was serving in the Mediterranean on the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. The ship was torpedoed by the Germans, so everyone was scrambling to get off the ship as it began to sink.

But Dad was Paymaster and took his job very seriously. So, as everyone else was scrambling upwards to get off the ship and escape, Dad pushed his way down through the exiting men and climbed down below into the bowels of the ship. This is where the safes were. So he rescued the money in the safe – so that he could pay his men. But he also rescued the code books and destroyed what he could and stuffed the other pages in his pockets, so the Germans wouldn’t find them. Then he climbed back up to the main deck. He was a great swimmer and some men were trying to swim ashore, others in life boats – as they were being shot at. But the money and documents in his pockets were heavy and made it difficult to swim, so Dad had to row ashore – under fire from the German guns.

The press reported the ship had been declared sunk by the Germans with no known survivors, so once Dad got safely back to land he needed to let mum know he was alive. But he could not put anything in a telegram that the Germans might intercept and discover there were survivors. So, being a country of tea lovers with every household always having a pot of tea on the go, Dad sent an unsigned telegram simply saying “Put the kettle on.”

Mum was obviously so relieved and always smiled as she retold that story. What a clever Dad we had!

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