Small red remembrance poppies dotted tables inside the American Legion Post 20 on Monday, where military veterans gathered with families and dignitaries to observe Veterans Day.
Dave Dewey commands the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10046. He opened the ceremony with a brief history of Veteran’s Day, formerly known as Armistice Day. The anniversary recognizes the armistice agreement that ended World War I.
“World War I was so horrific, that many referred to it as the war to end all wars,” he said. “Unfortunately, the optimism was short-lived. A generation later, a second world war would fall that was even deadlier than the first. Even so, the American Legion never wavered on the significance of the 1918 armistice.”
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that roughly 10.5% of adult Kenai Peninsula residents are veterans. That’s higher than the national rate of about 6.1% and slightly lower than that of Alaska overall – 11.5%. Alaska leads the country for the proportion of residents who served in the military.
Attendees also heard from Jim McHale, representing the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He recited a poem called “Thank a Veteran.”
“Some came back from war with battle scars,” he said. “Others in flag-draped coffins. Even though their flesh may have left, their spirits are not forgotten. They unselfishly and knowingly put their lives on the line. So when you see a veteran, thank them. Because without them, freedom would have died.”
David Honeycutt was in the audience Monday. He’s a Cold War veteran who grew up as a U.S. Army brat before enlisting in 1977 – the year after he graduated high school. During his 11 years of service, Honeycutt served in Germany and Korea, at various times working in target acquisition, with multiple launch rocket systems and as a ground surveillance radio operator.
He was also an instructor at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma and commanded the state’s chapter of the Disabled Veterans of America.
“We set up our radars and then we would monitor, via these small, itty-bitty radars, the enemy’s troop movements and their vehicle movements,” he said. “And we would relay that information to the forward edge … the rest of the troopers behind us.”
He says it was his destiny to serve in the armed forces. His dad was a Vietnam veteran, and both of his older brothers served in the military, too. His younger brother also got a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, which he turned down to pursue ministry. He’s not a combat veteran, but says he served in trying times and sought out the front line, like his dad.
“It was important to me to show that I had his bravery and that I could have a mission of importance – to save lives,” he said.
Remembering some of the dangerous positions he was put in while serving, Honeycutt says being afraid is not the same thing as cowardice.
“If you’re not afraid, you know, you’re not doing your job,” he said. “And bravery is overcoming fear to do that job. So, we all exhibit various levels of bravery, some of us just by showing up in the morning. And I wanted to be that guy.”
After being medically discharged, Honeycutt commanded the nonprofit Disabled American Veterans group in his home state of Oklahoma. In that capacity, he successfully lobbied for a statewide sales tax exemption for veterans with a 100% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Honeycutt says ceremonies like those held Monday are energizing.
“It kickstarts my patriotism,” he said. “It makes me want to get out there and run 10 miles.”
Veterans closed out Monday’s American Legion ceremony with a 21-gun salute and “Taps.”
