Commentary by Steven Aldrich
It is estimated that there are less than 1 million surviving World War II veterans in the United States. With approximately 492 of these brave men and women passing each day, the pool of survivors is quickly diminishing.
On Sept. 19, I had the very rare opportunity to attend a banquet honoring a rather large group of World War II veterans held at St. Alphonsus Ligouri Catholic Church. The St. Alphonsus Ligouri Knights of Columbus have hosted the annual banquet for the past seven years. It is truly a night to remember the great sacrifices made by such brave individuals to protect the country they love and cherish.
The veterans came from far and near to be at the banquet, some even being bussed in by the church in order to make it. Many of them fought during some of this country’s greatest triumphs. One of the very humble men who sat in the banquet hall was a Medal of Honor recipient. Many had served in the Navy. Some had served in the Army. A few of them witnessed the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima. It became very clear to me as the night went on that I was in the presence of true American heroes.
The keynote speaker for the evening was Jim Graham. Graham, who completed his Masters at Purdue University, served as a night fighter pilot in the Navy. He told a story of how badly he wanted to serve our country, even though he did not meet the height requirement of 5’6” that the Navy required at the time. It was a great story and I was happy to discover at the end that he was eventually accepted in to the Navy, where he proudly served for eight years.
I also had the privilege of sitting with World War II veteran Paul Wagner. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to spend the evening with him and his wife. Paul fought in the Battle of the Bulge, a major German offensive campaign that occurred near the end of the war. It was a surprise attack that caused the most American casualties during any operation in the World War II.
While Paul was held as a prisoner of war, he was starved and beaten by German guards. He shared a story with us about a night that he spent in the prison camp. He spotted a loaf of bread that had been left out by the guards. Starved and deprived, Paul went for the bread and was caught from behind by a German guard. He was badly beaten by this guard until two other German guards came and stopped the assault. He told us that he has had a bad back ever since.
Paul smiled and laughed throughout all of the stories that he told us. Although his stories were very emotional and at times not the easiest to hear, I admire that he has always kept his great spirits about him. Paul was later rescued by allied forces near the end of the Battle of the Bulge. It was an honor to sit and enjoy the evening with a hero like Paul Wagner.
I truly admired how open these veterans were when telling their many stories from the war. It is not something that they shy away from. Some of them have even returned to the countries that they once fought in as part of a healing process. At the end of the evening there was a flag ceremony put on by the church’s Boy Scout troop. I have never had such a hard time holding back tears as I did when I witnessed all of these great veterans stand and salute the flag they so love so much. It was a moment and a night that I will never forget.
I thank all of these men and women who so proudly sacrificed so much to serve our country. They are true American heroes and the bravest group of people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
