A Veteran's Day Salute
Land of the free, home of the brave
Veteran’s Day was just a day off school when I was in elementary school. Usually, there was a parade through downtown Harvey, Illinois. I was older before understanding the role military service played in my family.
My aunt, Clara, was a role model for generations to come. As one of a few Black females serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the 1950s, she joined the military by chance. After graduating from high school in 1954, she wanted to go to college. While working in the check-in room at a bowling alley in Chicago’s South Suburbs, a military recruiter mentioned opportunities for women.
Her mother was reluctant to give my aunt the required parental approval. She wasn’t sure her daughter would like to be a service member. Aunt Clara said she would enlist when she was old enough without approval. Her mother signed the papers realizing Aunt Clara’s determination to become a Marine.
While she did experience racism and had to learn coping skills as a teenager, being a Marine opened many doors. Her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was an Administrative Assistant and she excelled in her job eventually working for two colonels. It was more than a secretarial role. Aunt Clara handled sensitive documents requiring a security clearance and worked at the Marine Air Station in Cherry Point, NC, Arlington, VA, and the Marine Corps Institute.
When she talks to young people today, she advises them, “Only God knows your future.” Her military experience allowed her to earn the degree she yearned for and more. She and her husband were able to use her GI benefits to buy their first home. As the mother of five, her eldest son followed in her military footsteps. He is an Army veteran. Later, the degree and military experience opened doors in Los Angeles. Aunt Clara worked on Mayor Tom Bradley’s staff in Communications. She retired from Howard Hughes’ Playa Vista planned community and returned to Illinois. Yesterday, at age 88, Aunt Clara was honored for military service at Life Church in Chicago Heights, Illinois.
Her brother, my stepfather, was drafted into the Army in 1952 during the Korean War. He was awarded a Purple Heart, a United Nations Service Medal, and a Bronze Star during his service. My father, following in his father’s military footsteps, enlisted in the Marine Corps serving in Korea and other bases in the Far East. My paternal grandfather, John Henderson, served in World War I, 1917-1919, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant
Uncle Wayne served in Vietnam. He also had dreams of going to college to become an engineer. He was working at the Central Post Office in Chicago and taking college courses when he received his draft notice. After eight weeks of basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky he was assigned to Fort Sill in Lawton, OK. In October 1965 he was deployed to the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
America’s role in the Vietnam War caused division in society. The media coverage of the war brought graphic images directly into American family’s living rooms. The war made Americans more cynical and less trusting of the government and when the conflict ended in 1975 people remained divided.
My uncle didn’t have an opportunity to be involved in dinner table debates back home. He was serving on the front line. He was unaware of being exposed to Agent Orange, a herbicide that causes many types of cancer, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's disease, and a host of other diseases.
The U.S. government stopped spraying the herbicide in 1970. Congress didn’t pass legislation to make veterans eligible for benefits until 1991 and Navy Vietnam veterans were extended benefits in 2019. An estimated 2.6 million Vietnam veterans may have been exposed to Agent Orange according to the Veteran’s Administration.
After his service, my uncle purchased his family’s first home and completed a Bachelor of Science degree with assistance from the GI Bill, which refers to programs created to assist military veterans. He credits his time in the military with developing adaptability and problem-solving without assistance from family members thousands of miles away.
My uncle Ken served in the Navy. My cousin, Deirdre, his only daughter, initially considered the Navy to honor her Dad. Ultimately, she became a U.S. Coast Guard officer. It is the oldest continuous service in the U.S. started in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton. USCG was initially called Revenue-Marine. She attended training in Newport News, Virginia. The life lessons she learned during her service including eight years in the Coast Guard Reserves she has passed on to her two adult sons.
Veteran’s Day is a great opportunity to learn about your family’s military history.
What military service history in your family, Brenda! So well documented and their stories so well told. Grateful for all their service, but Aunt Clara gets my big wow! Glad to hear that she's been recently honored for her impressive career. What a trailblazer!
Great story!