43
Vietnam War veterans "emotionally overwhelmed" by the ceremony
Photo
Members of VFW Triangle Post 2799 in New Springfield recently placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Va. Presenting the wreath, created by C&C Ribbons and Florist of Boardman, are, from left, Air Force Reserve Senior Master Sgt. David Olekshuk of New Middletown, chaplain of Post 2799; David Coss of New Middletown, post commander; and a member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, which guards the tomb.
NEW SPRINGFIELD
Veterans Day has special meaning this year for a group of veterans from Veterans of Foreign Wars Triangle Post 2799, accompanied by family members, who recently placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
“It is something I’ll remember forever. There was eerie silence. ... It’s truly hallowed ground,” said John “Jack” Novicky of New Middletown.
Novicky, a retired Youngs-town City Schools special-education teacher, served in the Navy during the Vietnam War as a flight-deck captain on three aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.
It was with enormous honor and pride the veterans from VFW Post 2799 left Sept. 11, Patriot Day, for a three-day stay at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., which included presenting the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Sept. 12, said Diana Olekshuk, wife of Air Force Reserve Senior Master Sgt. David Olekshuk, one of the men who presented the wreath.
Novicky, 65, a trustee of Post 2799, said the party was given special privileges at Arlington National Cemetery to drive without escort to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Memorial Amphitheater.
“You could hear the guns going off and taps being played. It was awesome,” he said. “People support the troops a lot more now than when we got out of Vietnam. It took me back — it was a brotherhood.”
Before they arrived at their destination, they witnessed four burial services. “It truly filled each with ... the realization of what they were about to do,” Diana Olekshuk said.
Triangle Post 2799 presenters were: Novicky; David Coss, Post 2799 commander; Olekshuk, Post 2799 chaplain; and Barry Russell, past Post 2799 commander.
“It’s chilling. It’s a great honor to be there and pay respects to those buried at Arlington,” said Olekshuk, 50, a 23-year Air Force Reserve veteran who works in the 910th Airlift Wing Civil Engineer Squadron’s Emergency Management Office.
“It was a very emotional experience. It made you think about your whole career and the sacrifices that were made to preserve the freedoms we have today,” said Olekshuk, of New Middletown, a network services technician at Youngstown State University.
“As I am currently serving, this sacred place meant more to me than anyone can ever know,” said Olekshuk, who was deployed to Iraq for six months in 2008.
Coss, a Navy 3rd class petty officer when he was discharged, served in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967 as a radioman on a ship doing search-and-rescue missions.
Reflecting upon his experience at Arlington National Cemetery, Coss said, “I found the entire ceremony inspirational and emotional. This is an experience I would not have traded for anything in my life. I truly feel as if I have paid something back to our fallen heroes.”
Coss said he traditionally goes to a local cemetery to pay his respects to friends from Lowellville who lost their lives in Vietnam.
“Being at Arlington National Cemetery did bring a lot back to me. It made me sit and think about the good we did over there. It still holds a lot of meaning to a lot of us,” said Coss, of New Middletown.
Coss, 68, who works at Aven Fire Protection Co. in New Castle, Pa., said it also was his first time to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“It is absolutely beautiful. I’d advise any veteran who fought in any war to go see their memorial. I would like to see more veterans, especially Vietnam veterans, attend the local Laying of the Roses ceremony. It’s just unreal,” he said.
From 1967 to 1971, Coss served in the Vietnam War. “I have never felt more humbled to be within the presence of our fallen soldiers. Every American needs to visit Washington, D.C., and especially Arlington National Cemetery,” he said.
Russell, 68, of Boardman, a specialist 5 when he was discharged, was a turbine aircraft mechanic attached to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.
“You learn to appreciate what veterans have done for the country and keeping it safe. You remember fallen comrades. They are gone and you are here. I appreciate being alive,” said Russell, who served in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968.
“It’s really moving to see all those crosses. I found the ceremony overwhelming and stimulating. To realize that friends of mine are buried there ran all my emotions on high gear,” he said.
Afterward, Russell said visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the first time “took me back and reminded me of all my comrades and friends I served with. I was saddened to see all those names.”