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Rep speaks at American Legion veterans dinner
Veterans Day 2008
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Charlie Wilson
Schools are required by law to devote time to Veterans Day.
EAST LIVERPOOL — U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson’s family knows what it means to lose a member in the military.
Wilson, D-6th, was the speaker Tuesday at American Legion Post 374 Veterans Day Dinner.
“We’re here to honor veterans because of the sacrifices you have made,” he said to the crowd of about 100.
Wilson said his father and two uncles enlisted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
“Only two came back,” he said.
One of his uncles, Bob Wilson, was a medic and a private first class who was lost at sea. His ship was torpedoed April 20, 1944.
Relatives later tried without success to get more information about him. “That was the last we heard,” Wilson said.
People must give back for sacrifices others have made, he said, adding, “We owe it to our servicemen.”
He noted that Veterans Day came from the armistice that went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, to end World War I.
The congressman said that veterans’ issues are a priority at his office.
Former East Liverpool Mayor John Payne, who was at the event, works on veteran affairs full time for Wilson.
In one case, Payne was able to get medals awarded to a veteran who never received them.
Ronald Simmons, the president of the Veterans Day Council, who is also active in the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 47, said Veterans Day events are becoming scarce.
Schools, he noted, are required to study what Veterans Day stands for.
The Ohio Revised Code states that all state boards of education must have an observance that “conveys the meaning and significance of that day.”
Simmons thanked a memorial committee that places flags on the graves of all known local servicemen. New flags are ordered every year.
Family members of Jeremy Murray, of Atwater, were at the program, where a resolution was read that 4.6 miles of state Route 44 in Portage County will be named after Murray.
Murray, a sergeant in the Marine Corps, was killed Nov. 16, 2005, in Iraq when the vehicle he was traveling in hit a bomb.
Simmons said the family became familiar with the family of Army Cpl. Tyler Butler, of East Liverpool, who died in an accident in Iraq in 2007. A memorial for him was unveiled earlier this year in Calcutta, which is north of East Liverpool.
Simmons said the veterans groups helped get the highway designation for Murray.
In an observance in the Mahoning County Courthouse rotunda in Youngstown, a veterans organization leader said this country must renew its effort to honor the sacrifices of its veterans by ensuring that they get the education and other benefits they need.
“It’s time we, as a nation, take the proper steps to renew our commitment to those who have made a commitment to America,” said John P. Brown III, of Boardman, a Vietnam War veteran and last year’s AMVETS national commander.
Part of that effort is to ensure that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has the proper resources to fulfill its mission, Brown said.
“We must not stand idly by as other veterans wait years to receive their benefits and are turned away in their times of need,” Brown said.
Brown made his remarks at the annual Veterans Day observance of the United Veterans’ Council, which represents more than 30 local veterans organizations.
Next summer, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will roll out the post-9/11 GI Bill, “fulfilling the promise of a quality education to our newest generation of veterans,” Brown said.
“This is a monumental bill that we need to support to make sure that these young men and women get a proper education,” Brown added.
Brown urged his listeners to let their U.S. senators and representatives and state legislators know that they want veterans to receive the assistance they deserve, “especially these young men and women who are serving in the global war on terrorism.”
After the rotunda ceremony, the group walked to the Man on the Monument in downtown’s Central Square for a wreath-laying, rifle salute and taps.
XPeople with veterans issues can call Wilson’s Canfield office at (330) 533-7250, or visit http://www.charliewilson.house.gov/.