Veterans Day

Veterans Day is observed every year on Nov. 11. This special day evolved from Armistice Day, which was proclaimed in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson. Armistice Day recognized the end of World War I when fighting ceased at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. (Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., 1918).

On this day, we honor the men and women who served our country honorably, whether in peacetime or war.

Please pardon another long message this week, but I wanted to share some experiences as a former soldier and parent of a current soldier. Veterans Day means a great deal to me for these reasons.

Soldier Experience:
My path to the military happened after I had graduated college. My student loan payments started coming due, and I quickly realized that one way to pay off my student debt was to serve in the military. The Army had a student loan repayment program, and I liked the idea of serving while being part of a team again (I played baseball all four years in college and missed being part of a team). So, in March 1989, I enlisted and entered Basic Training at Ft. Dix, NJ. From there, I attended Advanced Individualized Training (AIT) at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. Eventually, I arrived at my first duty station with the 24th Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, GA. As soon as I arrived, I made it a point to apply for Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was accepted. My orders for OCS had me arriving at Ft. Benning, GA., in late 1990. At this point in my early military career, I intended to make the military my profession. I found out that I thrived in this environment. I enjoyed the discipline and the physical demands that came with the lifestyle, and I also felt a closeness to the guys I served with. 

I remember doing my laundry on August 2, 1990. It was in the evening, and I was getting ready for the next day as my unit was preparing for a field exercise on post. August 2 was also the day 100,000+ Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and overran the country in a matter of hours. A few days later, the 24th Infantry Division and the 18th Airborne Corps entered lockdown mode. We weren’t allowed to leave post and were notified that we would be leaving for Saudi Arabia at any moment for Operation Desert Shield. This massive movement of tanks, artillery and other vehicles was a sight to see.

My team and I ended up in Saudi Arabia well ahead of the arrival of our vehicles. The Port of Dammam in Saudi Arabia was our home for the first few weeks. Securing the port became our first mission, as the place was full of stored missiles, ammunition and artillery rounds. We were literally sitting on a powder keg and were aware that blowing the port up would be a huge advantage to the Iraqis. We managed to get through the first few weeks of Desert Shield with no issues, and when our tanks and other vehicles arrived, we began our movement into the Saudi desert.

Many days and weeks passed (slowly). We trained, we wrote letters home and we did our best to occupy time in a dusty, sandy and uncomfortably hot environment. We managed to play football and card games and read whatever was available.

Fast forward to the start of Desert Storm. We moved to the Southern border of Iraq, near Nisab. After months of sitting in the desert, we were ready and eager to enter Iraq and end this thing so we could get home. It was also the first time that I felt an enormous responsibility for the welfare and safety of others.

The ground war began on February 24, 1991. Our mission was to enter Iraq and drive for two days/nights into the Euphrates River valley, the famous “left hook,” as it was called by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. On February 26, we encountered the Iraqi Republican Guard Divisions from their 37th and 49th Infantry Divisions as well as the 6th Mechanized Division. The resistance was fierce, but we were able to accomplish our mission and capture two airfields. For those who have seen combat, you will never forget what it was like to face enemy fire for the first time. The first time, you stood your ground and fired back. There was always doubt about how you would react when faced with this situation. However, what I remember vividly was the responsibility I felt toward my team. We each had a job to do, and we did it for each other.

On the night of February 26, our team was ordered to conduct a search and destroy mission along Highway 8, which was referred to as the “Highway of Death” because of the destruction of retreating Iraqi military vehicles fleeing Kuwait. Later that evening, the Iraqi Republican Guard fired artillery in our direction, and our vehicle was hit by shrapnel. Thankfully, nobody was injured, and we were able to fulfill our mission. I remember the brightness of the explosion, the heat on my face and the deafening roar in my ears. The next afternoon, we were on another mission to secure another airfield. We were with a company of tanks and armored personnel carriers. We found ourselves in a minefield; a vehicle in front of us hit a mine, and its track was disabled. We all halted to a stop, and a few seconds later, Iraqi artillery began raining down on us. I kept a journal of my time over there, and the passage from this day starts with, “I now know what it's like to be a sitting duck.”

The 24th Infantry Division lost eight soldiers during four days/nights of fighting. Thankfully, our platoon suffered no casualties. We stayed in Iraq for a few weeks during the cease-fire and then ended up back in Saudi Arabia at Khobar Towers until we came home in April of 1991.

Parent Experience:
Mimi and I have a son, Austin, who is currently serving as a Captain in the Army. I remember him exploring his options after graduating from the University of Tennessee. He has a business degree but wasn’t interested in sitting behind a desk. He was also a former swimmer at Tennessee having spent four years competing for the Vols. Like his father, he missed being part of a team, so it wasn’t shocking to us when he said he wanted to join the military. He entered Army basic training at Ft. Jackson, SC. Then he went to AIT at Ft. Benning, then on to OCS to become an officer, then to the Infantry Officers Course at Ft. Benning, then to Airborne School and Ranger School. He arrived at his first duty station with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, where he was a platoon leader. On August 16, 2021, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. I knew when we got the call a few days later that he was going to Afghanistan. It was the same call my parents had received from me almost 31 years earlier, to the day.

Austin was a platoon leader who ended up at the airport in Kabul in August 2021. On August 26, 2021, he and his platoon were to take over Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport. A few hours before they were to relieve the Marines who were monitoring the gate, an ISIS suicide bomber killed eleven United States Marines, a Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsman and a United States Army Soldier. Austin and his platoon had been briefed by this group earlier in the day. I knew of the bombing and waited for word that he was okay. 

I now understood what my parents went through while I was deployed. It was far easier on me than it was on them. It wasn’t until Austin deployed that I realized this. Mimi and I found out later the next day that Austin and his platoon were not at the gate when the bombing occurred. Days later, we finally slept well when we received his call from an airport in Germany on his way home. He was out of harm's way.

Austin is currently serving with the Army Special Forces and is in the final stages of earning the Green Beret. We look forward to traveling to Ft. Bragg for the ceremony in early 2025. There will no doubt be other sleepless nights in our future, but we couldn’t be more proud of him and his decision to serve.

To all of our Saint Edward’s community veterans, thank you for your service. I know you have your stories, too. Your stories are important, and I hope you have them written somewhere. Our country owes you all a debt of gratitude. Thank you!

God bless you, and God bless our military and our country!

Stuart