When veterans and officials met on Nov. 11 to honor those who made sacrifices on Veterans Day, many of the new voices were those who had returned from Iraq.
Members of the United States National Guard Charlie 250th Brigade Support Battalion were present. Their unit has served two tours in Iraq and when returning home, some decided to join the local North Bergen Veterans of Foreign Wars Edward McDowell Post 2648, which along with is ladies auxiliary, has sponsored the Jersey City unit.
“[The VFW] is the only place you can get together and have something in common with your fellow soldiers,” said Staff Sergeant Janet Fowler of North Plainfield, N.J. “It’s great to sit down with [some of the older veterans] and hear their stories because the difference between then [and now].”
“It feels good to see the young people out here today.” – Ed O’Neil
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“I felt that it was important to join because there were hardly any young people represented in the VFW,” said Guinyard. “If they all go and none of us join, the association itself is going to die off.”
Guinyard said that she is the only female minority member in her post, which hopes her membership can help them garner more interest from other returning veterans.
At the Veterans Day Ceremony held at the North Bergen Recreation Facility, Mayor and Sen. Nicholas Sacco said the new faces gave him hope for the future.
“My concern is that the group is getting smaller and smaller,” said Sacco. “Now that there seems to be an infusion of younger people…, so I think this is a good sign for the future that the veterans groups will stay intact and have a large voice in the state of New Jersey.”
Not just once a year
Edward McDowell VFW President John Bond, VFW Ladies Auxiliary President Claire Prevot, North Bergen American Legion Post 33 Commander and North Bergen Director of Veteran Affairs Ed O’Neil, and Jewish War Veterans Commander David Kronick were present, along with veterans and town officials.
After a moment of silence, master of ceremonies and Hudson County Surrogate Donald De Leo said that Veterans Day should be remembered every day. Part of the reason they should be on the forefront of our minds is because of their treatment when they come home, said De Leo.
“One glaring need that I will call to the mayor’s attention, that he well knows and appreciates as a state senator as well, [is] we are not taking care of the wounded returning, wounded in mind and body,” said De Leo, who explained that insufficient treatment at veterans’ hospitals like Walter Reed Army Medical Center is far from fixed.
He also spoke about the post-traumatic stress from which many soldiers suffer.
For National Guard Sgt. Lorraine Derowitsch of North Bergen, joining the VFW is a way for returning veterans to “stabilize themselves,” instead of feeling isolated.
Still, all agreed that it was a shame that many did not recognize their contributions.
“We’re not asking for much, just some appreciation,” said National Guard Sgt. Orlando Velez, a North Bergen resident. “We are the young generation that is going to be veterans for along time, for the rest of our lives. Hopefully we can serve to spread that awareness through our communities and on a much larger scale here as a county.”
Honoring those who fought
O’Neil said it felt good to see young people coming out today, as well as women, whom he said “were always good fighters” in his experience.
“It feels good to see the young people out here today, so we know that the sacrifices that they are making, as did the people before them, will always be recognized down the road,” said O’Neil.
“[Today] I just think about the guys I was in the service with and my uncles and my father, they were all veterans and they are now deceased,” said O’Neil. “It’s just a day of reflection to me.”
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.