Veteran's day is coming up this Thursday.
A day to honor all those who've worn the
uniform tonight and are making a difference.
Report 2 veterans and a special reunion
more than 50 years in the making.
What you need to try to find is
1255. That's a route
number. There is never an easy
route to the places that matter. And
on this day it's exit number 762
men are going in a new direction.
The destination is Ashland, Illinois,
a farming community about 120 miles
and decibels from Saint Louis.
I've always liked farming
because you're your own boss.
You can tell by the Naledge
lives and works on 400 acres,
where it's been a good year for soybeans.
Now they're putting on pods and.
Filling Pods Edge has been farming
this land practically all his life.
Suffer the time when he traded in
his work boots for army boots.
The year was 1968 and Dale Edge was drafted
to fight for his country in Vietnam.
I knew probably
did I get drafted.
I wasn't going to volunteer but I
wasn't going to run either. But
the Vietnam War was like a
wound that never healed.
Soldiers bravely faced the enemy.
Only to come home and face scorn
as soon as their plane landed.
There's guys kissing
the ground. Glad to be
back glad they made it.
And then when you go another 30
feet or from here to the car and.
They start screaming and
hollering stuff, catch it.
I ain't gonna repeat it, that's
why Dale took his feelings and his
stories and buried them except for
one one story that needed an ending.
And recently after getting
his first smartphone,
he finally decided to solve the mystery
by doing some checking on the Internet.
Then got up the courage to make a phone call.
They said, Dale,
I gotta be really honest.
I don't know who you are.
I said he said well
I understand it's 53 years
ago I can understand that.
73 year old Fred Jerlene lives in
Minnesota and works for great steps.
A company that makes prosthetic and orthotic
devices. And he's pretty
popular with his clients. They
like people that are amputees
because you can feel feel some of
the stuff and some people like that.
You know you've got one.
OK then I'm OK. This all titanium
Fred lost his leg during
a firefight in Vietnam.
I got behind a tree drop down
and this need this leg was up
when I was shooting around
tree and RPG hit right there.
That side of the tree.
Dale remembers that attack
like that lightning boom she went off.
They throw down RPG in on us
before the medics got there.
I put a tourniquet on Fred's leg
and then he remembers keeping
Fred Commin helping to get him
on a medical evacuation chopper.
Fred told him I'm going to see you at home. I
said I'll never forget that Fred.
And that didn't they were in the
same platoon, but didn't know each
other that well before that day.
Still, for more than half a century,
Dale Edge wondered,
I didn't know if he lived. I wanted
to know if he made it or not slow
down, slow down that one phone
call filled a void, yeah,
and then his heart was filled when
Fred drove more than 560 miles
for a reunion more than 50 years.
In the making I'm
doing fine, Fred. Good to
see you buddy pretty couple weeks right?
So much time and distance meant so little.
As soon as the two men started talking.
Doesn't matter, I would spend the
weekend excavating memories. It was
an answer to prayer.
If you want to know the truth.
I don't know how many times.
I prayed for that man means
a lot in here welcome.
This camera that's on one
of the towers watchtowers.
Oh yeah, remembering the hard days
is always easier with an old friend
and we was zigzagging down the
mountain for the first time since
they've been back from Vietnam.
These two veterans finally
get a welcome home.
Welcome home buddy. Thank you you too.
Now that Fred has come to Illinois,
Dale is making plans to
visit Minnesota a reminder.
If you know an inspiring story,
let me know at ambush.
At ksdk.com area kids.