§§ IT'S JUST PART OF THE IOWA STATE
FAIR.
TRADITIONALLY MONDAY OF THE IOWA STATE FAIR IS VETERANS DAY,
AND THEY'RE TO BE SALUTED TODAY AND THANKED FOR THEIR
SERVICE.
COLONEL KING NARRATED THE PARADE TODAY AS ALL THESE VETERANS
WALKED BY, HUNDREDS OF THEM, FROM AROUND THE
STATE OF IOWA SERVING IN CONFLICTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
EACH ONE OF THEM WITH THEIR OWN STORY.
CLARENCE FANDELLER, I LIVE IN GREENFIELD, IOWA.
I WAS ON THE USS MARYLAND AT PEARL HARBOR.
JOHN DOWD.
I'M FROM VICTOR, IOWA, AND I SERVED DURING
THE KOREAN CONFLICT.
I'M LEROY JABLONSKI FROM URBANDALE, IOWA.
I SERVED WITH THE 3RD AND THE 5TH ARMORED CAVALRY,
MARCH OF '67 THROUGH MARCH OF '68.
SCHLEISMAN, TERRY A. BOBBY RODROGUES
FROM WEST DES MOINES, IOWA.
MY NAME IS AL DITTMEYER.
RICHARD STEVENSON.
RAY GENSLEY FROM VICTOR, IOWA.
I SERVED IN THE KOREAN WAR.
GERALD AMPHER FROM JESUP, IOWA.
MY NAME IS ROB STARK.
I'M FROM URBANDALE, IOWA.
AND I'VE BEEN SERVING SINCE 1987.
SARGENT JOHN HEALIS.
I SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY IN 1966 TO 1968.
MY NAME IS WALT GREGG AND I'M FROM GLENWOOD, IOWA.
I SERVED IN VIETNAM IN 1969.
JOHN O'HARA.
I LIVE IN RUNNELS -- NEAR RUNNELS, IOWA.
AND I WAS IN 1949 TO 1953 IN THE AIR FORCE.
DON STEADMAN, U.S. ARMY.
ROBERT TORREY AND I'M FROM URBANDALE, IOWA.
JOHN HOWERY.
I'M WITH VFW POST 7064 FROM TABER, IOWA.
I SERVED IN THE NAVY, NINE YEARS ON SUBMARINES.
I'M MYRTLE VAN DYKE.
I LIVE IN JOHNSTON,IOWA.
ARNIE LATARIE.
I WAS IN THE U.S. NAVY ARMED GUARD.
I'M ORIGINALLY FROM WYOMING, IOWA.
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT -- AND I MEAN THIS IN ALL
SINCERITY, PAUL -- IF THOSE VETERANS HADN'T DONE
WHAT THEY HAD DONE TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME, WE WOULDN'T BE
HERE DOING THIS TODAY, AND I MEAN THAT IN ALL SINCERITY.
JOHN RUDESOLE.
GARY WIGNAL.
I'M FROM MELCHER DALLAS, IOWA, AND I SERVED IN THE NAVY FROM
1961 TO 1965.
I SERVED IN ALASKA WITH SEAL TEAM 1 IN THE USS WISE.
LEE BUDEN, ANKENY, IOWA, VIETNAM.
LT.
COLONEL ERIK HOLIDAY FROM BLUEGRASS, IOWA,
U.S. ARMY.
SERVED IN TWO TOURS IN IRAQ, TWO TOURS IN KOSOVO,
AND TWO TOURS IN AFGHANISTAN.
MY NAME IS SETH WERTMAS.
I'M FROM DES MOINES, IOWA.
I SERVED IN IRAQ FOR TWO YEARS.
JIM FISCHER, DES MOINES, IOWA.
I WAS IN THE U.S. NAVY.
DON TAGGET, GLENWOOD, IOWA.
SERVED IN THE U.S. SUBMARINE FORCE FROM '78 TO
1993.
MY NAME IS SARGEANTMAJOR JOHNNY WISE JR.
AND I'VE BEEN HERE 28 YEARS AND BEEN ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
ALL ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
I'M DARREL GASS AND I'M FROM POST 663 IN URBANDALE.
AND I WAS IN THE NAVY.
I'M RON FOSTER.
I WAS IN THE U.S. ARMY.
I'M ED COOLEY AND I AM POST COMMANDER --
PATTERSON POST 274.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE ARMY AND THE AIR FORCE.
WHAT'S A PARADE LIKE TODAY MEAN TO YOU?
IT MEANS THAT FINALLY WE'RE GETTING MORE RECOGNITION AND
THE RECOGNITION WE DESERVE AS VETERANS.
BILL HINTSMAN FROM MILO, POST 263.
I SERVED IN VIETNAM '72-'73.
PAUL LAWRENCE FROM INDIANOLA AND I WAS IN THE WESTERN
PACIFIC.
I SPENT EIGHT MONTHS ON IWO JIMA.
SIXTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO YESTERDAY I LANDED THERE.
DOES IT SEEM LIKE YESTERDAY?
YES.
I WAS BACK THERE TWO YEARS AGO, AND EVERYTHING HAS GROWED UP
SINCE THEN, BUT THE BEACHES ARE STILL THERE.
IT'S STILL HARD TO THINK ABOUT.
WHAT'S A PARADE LIKE TODAY MEAN FOR YOU?
WELL, THIS IS ABOUT THE THIRD ONE I THINK I'VE BEEN IN.
I LIKE IT.
IT'S BRING BACK MEMORIES.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT MANY OF US LEFT.
THERE'S A LOT OF MEMORIES THAT COME BACK ON DAYS LIKE TODAY.
AND I HEAR STORIES EVERY YEAR, PAUL, WHEN I COME OUT HERE,
PEOPLE COME UP AND THEY START TELLING ME STORIES.
AND I'VE HAD VETERANS' FAMILIES TELL ME THAT AFTER THEY'VE
CAME TO THESE EVENTS, OFTENTIMES A VETERAN
WILL GO HOME AND FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, THEY'LL
START TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY DID WAY BACK WHEN.
SO YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S WHAT WE DO FOR SOMEBODY, THAT'S
WONDERFUL.