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My dad spent some 25 years in the U.S. Army. As a consequence, I spent most of my youth on military bases.
When you grow up in a military environment, you tend to develop a respect for the men and women who serve in the armed forces. Most of my friends’ parents were of the same generation as my parents, which meant that most of them lived through and served in World War II, the Korean War and the war in Vietnam.
The military folks I knew when I was a kid were proud, yet stoic, about their service. Most of them, like my dad, didn’t dwell much on their experiences. They did what they were told, and that was that. My dad, like a lot of guys he worked with, served in three wars. My oldest brother, Pat, was born while my dad was in Korea, and my youngest sister, Chris, was born while he was in Vietnam.
My Uncle Wayne — who was better known as “Ange” (short for Angel) — was a paratrooper during World War II and was involved in every battle in Europe from the Normandy D-Day invasion to the Battle of the Bulge. By the way, Ange was a lot of things, but an angel wasn’t one of them. But he was a nice guy who led an amazing life.
After the Korean War, Ange briefly left the military. But, finding civilian life tough to deal with, he went back to the Army and served until the early 1970s, retiring after a tour of duty in Vietnam. When I was a kid, Ange never really talked much about his war experiences. It was only in the last few years of his life that he opened up about his service.
After D-Day, Ange spent a couple of weeks trapped behind enemy lines. During that time, he and his fellow soldiers pretty much were forced to scrounge for food. Ange, when he got older, would talk a bit about his experiences, but mainly he would tell self-deprecating stories. One of my favorite stories Ange told me was about the time in World War II when he persuaded a buddy, hospitalized in Paris with a broken arm, to skip out of the hospital and go do what you would expect young GIs to do in Paris. Unfortunately, their night had just gotten under way when Ange and his friend were picked up by MPs.
“The Battle of the Bulge had started, so they were rounding up anybody who could walk,” Ange said. “Because of me, he went from a hospital bed to the Battle of the Bulge. That (bad couple of words) never forgave me.”
On Saturday, Nov. 10, Joplin American Legion Post 13 and Joplin VFW Post 534 will present the 25th annual Joplin Veterans Day parade. Howard Spiva is the commander of the Legion post. I’ve mentioned Howard a few times in this space. Howard is sort of a go-getter. He’s the sort of guy who makes the rest of us feel like our feet are in concrete. Howard makes debate-mode Joe Biden look like he is taking a nap.
Howard stopped by the Globe the other day to give me a flier and to ask if I would help get the word out about the Veterans Day parade. Howard and the other organizers want to encourage folks to be in the parade. He told me that he already has a number of parade entries, but that there is always room for more.
Parade entries will begin lining up at 8:30 a.m. on Main Street, between 15th and 20th streets. The parade itself will get under way at 10 a.m. and end around 11:30 a.m.
If you would like to be in the parade, you can call Howard at 417-483-3099 or Ken Lanear at 417-624-0378.
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA for Mike Pound’s column? Call him at 417-623-3480, ext. 7259, or email him at mpound@joplinglobe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepoundglobe.
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