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Lt. Col. Fraley urges increased awareness

The main message from Saturday’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1893 Veterans Day Program is that many of those who served their country are falling on the home front from suicide, and something needs to be done to reverse the trend.

Two of the featured speakers, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Beri Fraley and Scotland Stewart, a Franklin County High School student who recently won the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Voice of Democracy contest with his essay titled “Honor. Integrity. Loyalty. Service.,” emphasized that veterans have been committing suicide in increasing numbers, and the public needs to take a hard look at the situation and remember them for the contributions they have made to their country.

Fraley said the words “thank you for your service” can go a long way in instilling a positive outlook for veterans.

“Those five words mean a lot,” he said.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression stemming from military service have been cited as causes for why veterans have been committing suicide in increasing numbers.

Fraley referred to a gathering he recently had with other veterans who each talked about how many of their fellow servicemen had died from suicide. He stressed that awareness needs to be increased about the issue so that veterans who are at risk have options that will sway them from carrying through with taking their own lives.

Fraley highlighted the myriad of emotions personnel go through while serving in the military.

He referred to April 25, 1991, when he was serving in Kuwait in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and he and 10 other soldiers had an opportunity to go into Kuwait City to get a beloved taste of home by eating at a Kentucky Fried Chicken establishment on his 30th birthday.

Fraley said the war was filled with personnel experiencing fear and anxiety, but when the group had made it to Kuwait City, residents there welcomed them with open arms and thanked them for what they had done to establish freedom in their country. He said the gratitude was overwhelming.

However, Fraley said veterans still serving and those who have returned home have had to deal with issues related to their service that place them at a higher risk for suicide, and the public needs to take note and extend their thanks when they can.

Bobby Clark, an Air Force Vietnam War veteran who wears several hats, including VFW Post 1893 commander and county veterans services officer, echoed Fraley and Stewart’s assessment and urged any veterans with issues that could potentially lead to suicide to call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline and select option one. He added that help is available around the clock.

Stewart said interest in serving in the military has declined in recent years, and steps need to be taken to improve the situation. He said that without veterans and what they’ve done, the freedom the nation enjoys would not exist.

Stewart explained in his essay the reasons why he feels veterans are so important:

“These brave men and women fight the battles abroad so that we do not have to fight here at home. They provide the very liberty that allows us to enjoy the rights guaranteed in our Constitution, while placing themselves in harm’s way to do so. Imagine waking up every day knowing that day may be your last, having no certainty of your survival, with the possibility of being involved in a battle that may leave you dead or permanently injured.

“Consider constantly wondering if you will ever see your spouse or your children again. Understand that in order to return to the safety of your home, you must first survive an enemy assault intended to kill you. This horrifying scenario is the daily life of an active-duty military member. In a day and age where we bow down to singers and athletes, the very least we can do is thank and respect those who placed themselves in said scenarios. We as a society should contribute to causes and charities that help our nation’s veterans as well as vote for individuals that prioritize the needs of those who selflessly sacrifice their lives for us.

“Veterans of the United States military are important because they risked their lives on the battlefield so that we can safely live ours in the shadows of peace. In return, we owe them the same honor, integrity, loyalty and service we received from them in defense of our nation.”

The event featured a third speaker, Sharon Saylor, a South Middle School seventh-grade social studies teacher who won the state’s VFW Teacher of the Year award.

She quoted Samuel Adams, a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, in her speech.

“Samuel Adams once said: ‘The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards, and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors; they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence,”’ Saylor said.

She went on to say in her own words that: “For most of us, keeping these liberties requires us to only participate in the civic duties of our country, such as paying our taxes, voting in our elections, volunteering for our community and actively engaging in conversations with political representatives. All of these activities will not only preserve our great democracy, but will also provide for the betterment of all its people, and it is necessary that we all do our part.”

However, Saylor said there are those who go beyond the metaphorical.

“They answer the call to fight on the behalf of all of us on the home fronts and internationally to not only protect our liberties, but to share our freedoms with the known world,” she said.

Saylor said the mission of the VFW is to ensure that veterans are respected for their service, always receive what they are entitled to and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of the nation.

She said that she had her students each write a poem from the perspective of a soldier, and she personally participated in the assignment.

“Now, this was a very arduous task because none of us in the class has ever been a soldier nor do we really know what it is like to risk our life for freedom,” she said. “When I sat down to write my poem, I thought of my father. He was a Vietnam veteran, and when (let me emphasize when) he would share, he would talk about how he and his comrades were treated when they returned home. I think this was a disservice to him and to all the Vietnam soldiers.”

Her poem, written from his perspective, says:

A veteran sacrifices their body mind and spirit for others

Who has experienced grief, fear and loss of our brothers

Who feels underappreciated and disrespected when we returned

Who needs a thank-you and our worth reaffirmed

Who fears the dreams, the anger and the self-hate

Who loves this country its values and freedoms innate

Who thinks liberty is deserved by all

Who believes that with our sacrifice, we will never fall

Who deserves recognition and to always stand tall

“Veterans, just like my father, need to know how important and special they are to our country and our democracy,” Saylor said. “I want to personally thank each and every one of you for your service to this great country and let you know that as long as I teach, children will learn the values of the soldiers.”

In addition to the speakers, the event featured:

— Ray Cuttrell leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

— Jena and Jada Hand singing the national anthem.

— Rev. Charlie Watkins leading the invocation and benediction.

— Franklin County Commissioner Johnny Hand singing “God Bless the USA.”

— Clinton Vincent playing the taps bugle call.