Cedarville Veterans Day Features Program About 'Opportunities To Improve the World'
By Amy Polk

Les Cheneaux area veterans (from left) Jack Nordquist, Rudy Sherlund, Ray Markstrom, and Charlie Crawford await the arrival of other military veterans before the start of the Veterans Day service at Les Cheneaux Community Schools Thursday, November 8.

Among R.B. Smith's most prized possessions is a picture of the flag raising at Iwo Jima during World War II. The picture, he said, is a reminder of a time when he wishes he could have gone back and done something better. It also reminds him of the meaning of service, a point he emphasized to students at Les Cheneaux Community Schools during a Veterans Day service Thursday, November 8.

Quoting Anne Frank, a German Jew who died in a concentration camp during World War II after writing a diary at ages 15 and 16, Mr. Smith said, "how wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before beginning to improve the world."

People trying to improve the world by helping others, parents putting food on the table for their children, and people working to support a family are examples of service beyond the military, Mr. Smith said.

Many of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary members, joined by other veterans, sing along with the Cedarville High School Band's performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" Thursday, November 8.

"If you, as a student, learn something today, I hope it's a lesson of service," he added.

He challenged the students to do something for other people, "make something for someone," as gestures of service. Service does not only mean serving in the military, he said, but also performing simple acts of kindness without expecting thanks or payment.

"I want you to be thankful for everything you have, because somebody made [your freedom] for you," Mr. Smith said. "I will guarantee you, if you want to be a fulfilled person, you will not only play. You will serve and you will find a way to help someone who needs it."

Mr. Smith was a member of the United States Navy from 1959 to 1984, following his graduation from Cedarville High School in 1959. He was a Master Chief of the Navy. He has served in the Les Cheneaux Lions Club for 20 years, and is a member of the Les Cheneaux Historical Association. He has been a member of the Les Cheneaux Boat Show Committee for 21 years. He is also a "veteran" of Cedarville High School Band, he said. When he first spoke at a Veterans Day service in Cedarville several years ago, he turned to the band, as he did Thursday, and told them what a wonderful job they were doing, and how proud he was of them.

R.B. Smith of Hessel talks about his beloved picture of the flag raising on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, by American soldiers during World War II.

"When you make a chair, you make it out of a board; but when you make music, it's out of your heart," he told the band.

Two years after high school graduation, Mr. Smith met John Bradley, one of the soldiers who helped raise the flag on the Japanese Island of Iwo Jima after the Americans took control of the island. When he was introduced to Mr. Bradley, he asked, "What else did you do on Iwo Jima?"

In retrospect, Mr. Smith now regrets asking Mr. Bradley the question, rather than accepting the soldier's service in World War II as a sacrifice worthy of more respect.

"Those guys taught me what service is all about," Mr. Smith said. "They were my mentors."

Mr. Smith pointed out the soldiers he called by name on his framed print generated from a 1945 painting of the flag raising. He invited all of the Native American students to stand, and pointed out Ira Hayes in the picture, noting they share their Native American heritage with Mr. Hayes, who was immortalized by the famous picture.

Mr. Smith acknowledged that the painting was generated from a second flag raising to replay the original act by American soldiers. He said the soldiers wanted to recreate the moment on film "by going back and doing something better."

Mr. Smith said he wishes he could do the same, and recreate the moment he had with World War II veteran Mr. Bradley.

During the Veterans Day service, Cedarville High School Band played the military service anthems of each United States military branch, including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.

Les Cheneaux Community Schools Music Director Alan Jacobus marked the 10th anniversary of the Veterans Day program by describing the roles of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary.

"Veterans Day is largely to recognize those living veterans who are still among us," Mr. Jacobus said. "We must never forget that freedom is never free, and all anyone can ever do is offer the next generations the same freedoms."

Members of the Law-White Veterans of Foreign Wars, he said, referring to those seated before him, are current or former members of the armed services. They are advocates for veterans' rights, and donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity. They currently administer the Operation UpLink program, which provides telephone cards to armed service people so they can call their families.

The Ladies Auxiliary is comprised of spouses, daughters, and relatives of armed service people, and they also raise money, lobby for veterans' rights, and support Operation UpLink.

Cedarville Student Council members Karissa Schlosser and MacKenzie Sudol spoke about the significance of military service in the United States and the meaning of Veterans Day.

Cedarville Band member Jordan Huff played "Taps" during a moment of silence to recognize the veterans.

The band also played "The Star Spangled Banner" and a Belgian march.