Connie Anderson spoke at the North Nodaway Veterans Day celebration Friday about her service in the US Army Reserves. She served 20 years, including one year in Iraq, and her son and grandchildren also serve. Her son is an Army Ranger, while her granddaughter and her husband serve in the Navy where they fly surveillance aircraft. Her dad did not serve during World War II because he was a farmer, and the Army wanted people on the farm to keep their soldiers fed. However, her uncle served in World War II in the Marines, as did his son. “We weren’t picky about where we served,” she said.
Anderson wanted to serve when she was 21, but Vietnam was raging at the time, her brother was serving, and she didn’t want to put her family through having a second child serving. So she waited until she was 42, when she joined the Army Reserve as a nurse. They allowed her to join as a Lieutenant, since she had a Bachelor’s Degree, However, she still had to go though Basic Training, including two trips through the gas chamber. Combat soldiers have to go through it numerous times. She served in the 325th Combat Support Hospital.
As a member of the 325th Combat Support Hospital, Anderson and her team had to know how to put together a tent hospital in 24 hours on a bare surface. When it came time for a unit to move, she and her team had to take it down within 24 hours. Sometimes, that meant she and her unit had to sleep under the moon.
She had to know a little bit about everything. She had to know voltages, so she knew which generator went where, since these hospitals were powered up by generators. Sometimes, she had to go guard duty. Sometimes, she had to haul water buffalos (which were special containers) in a truck to get water to the soldiers.
During her time in Iraq, Anderson was stationed in Tirkit, which was bombed once. Luckily, nobody got hurt. She said it was an eye opening experience when the door opened after she was flown to Kuwait and it was 125 degrees out.
Anderson said it was a wonderful experience to serve one’s country. She said the worst part of serving was the homesickness, especially since she got no leaves. She encouraged students to set goals for themselves; when she was younger, she had the goal of joining the military someday. When she got into the Army Reserves, she had the goal of serving for 20 years, which she did. In the meantime, she was able to get her Master’s Degree and become a nurse practitioner.
Teacher Emily Bix and National Honor Society President Lauren Herndon gave the welcome. SFC Jeremy Kramer and SFG Nicholas Harris of the Missouri National Guard presented the colors. The Kindergarten and first grade led the Pledge. The Middle School and High School Choir sang the National Anthem, led by teacher Zoey Owens. The sixth and seventh grade band played “America.” Fourth grader Lucus Hansen read a poem, while Caspian Halvin and Arianna Owens gave brief talks. Fifth graders presented art to the veterans in attendance.
The North Nodaway 8th grade and high school band did the tribute to the Armed Forces, with members of each service branch standing as the fight song for their branch was played.
Sophomore Casey Wray talked about how veterans are people who left their homes and families to fight for us and keep us free. She talked about how Veterans Day came to be; it was originally known as Armistice Day following World War I. However, it was Raymond Weeks, a serviceman who fought in World War II, who led efforts to honor the living as well as the dead. Thanks to his efforts, Armistice Day became Veterans Day in 1954. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts.
Another sophomore, Lacey Riley, talked about her grandfather and his service in the Korean War from 1950-52. She talked about the need to help veterans through soup kitchens, donating money to veterans or veteran service organizations, and hiring veterans, and to give them reason to live. “We have freedoms; everything we have is because of veterans,” she said.
Nine veterans were honored Friday. They were Don Clements (National Guard, 6 years), Marcus Perkins (Marine Corps, 4 years), Bill Mires (Army, 28 years), Allen Coleman (Army, 2 years), Jerry Spalding (Army, 2 years), Connie Anderson (Army Reserves, 20 years), Ken Pettlon (Marine Corps, 1969-1970), Garland O’Riley (Army, 1965-1967), and Larry Polsley (Navy, 12 years).
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