Veterans Day 2009 focuses on life beyond combat

Saint Paul, MN -- On the Minnesota State Capitol Mall Wednesday a contingent of military veterans began ringing a ship's bell at 11 a.m., and reading the names of Minnesotans who've died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The head of the local chapter of Veterans for Peace, Larry Johnson, said the bell ringing was an effort to capture the spirit of Armistice Day in 1918, when churches marked the end of World War One.

"They called it the war to end all wars, and they were so happy it was over they danced in the street all over the world," Johnson said, "Churches rang bells, for a number of years, 11 times at 11 a.m. on November 11th. They hoped nations would find other ways to settle their differences, just as we do now."

Just across the mall, at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall the Central High School band played military marches to set the tone for a ceremony honoring those who served their country.  Marine veteran Ray Earley, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, read a laundry list of statistics from that conflict.

"Minnesota sent 149,760 of its sons, losing 1,072 killed," he said, "The most common name in Vietnam was Johnson. On this wall there are 19 Johnson's, 19 Nelson's, 14 Peterson's, 11 Anderson's and 10 Olson's."

Earley, a Native American from the White Earth Community, also said that 11 young men he knew from surrounding villages were killed in action.

"These guys I grew up with, played ball with," he said, "And I never got to arrange their funerals because I was in Vietnam when they were killed."

Politicians Speak

In Inver Grove Heights, the official state ceremony drew hundreds of veterans, ranging from those freshly discharged all the way up to retired generals.

Governor Tim Pawlenty, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, as well as 4th District Congresswoman Betty McCollum all referenced their trip a day earlier to Texas for the memorial service for those murdered in a mass shooting at Fort Hood

Pfc. Kham Xiong of Saint Paul, who was killed in last week's Fort Hood shootings, got special recognition. Sen. Klobuchar recounted watching his family at the Texas ceremony.

"And they were all very small people standing there by the photo of their son and brother and husband, propped up next to his combat boots," Klobuchar said as she gestured with her arms, "And his children,  three beautiful little children, one of who kept reaching out to us."

On another front, Klobuchar told the crowd she has been alarmed to see federal data showing that veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have, on average, a five percent higher unemployment rate than the general population.

She said she's introducing legislation, along with a Nebraska Republican colleague, to create more training opportunities for those vets who return to civilian life.

"In this difficult economy the last thing we want is our veterans, who have served us, our soldiers who have been over their on our behalf to come back and not have a job."

Rep. McCollum told a personal story of her own father and uncle, who "self-medicated" with alcohol to get over the enduring mental stress of their battle experiences.

"We have to be open and welcome our soldiers to talk about not only their physical wounds but the wounds that we cannot see," she said.

Sen. Franken quoted Ronald Reagan, on his way to making a point about taking care of service members beyond their days in uniform.

"Reagan said most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives -- the one they were living and the one they would've lived," Franken said.

"Sometimes when I hear those words I think of those who survive battle only to struggle with the wounds of war, both physical and mental. Many of them gave up two lives too."

Franken's first piece of legislation to pass the Senate last summer will set up a service dog pilot program, to provide dogs to veterans with post traumatic stress syndrome and other mental side effects of their war experience. 

He told of meeting a veteran who has survived with the help of service dog trained to anticipate nightmares or sudden onsets of severe emotional episodes.

Class of '45

Stan Kowalski, who serves as state VFW commander, told KARE after the meeting that the focus on veterans' mental health is warranted, and would've been helpful to past generations of veterans as well.

"A veteran is a veteran," Kowalski said, "Whether you're 20 or 85 you're still a veteran, and that's what has to be respected."

In his days as a professional wrestler he was known as "Killer Kowalski," but the Minneapolis native spent World War II in a submarine in the Pacific.

"That's how my ears were damaged," he explained, "I was running sonar when something exploded near the sub."

Kowalski said he's been heartened to see younger people becoming more respectful of veterans and thankful for their service.

"Now they're saluting us at parades and waving at us," he said, "There was a time when they wouldn't even take off their hats to us."

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