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November 10, 2009

To those who served: Thank you | Veterans Day a time for gratitude, respect

Anonymous The Tribune-Democrat Tue Nov 10, 2009, 01:31 PM EST

Juanita Warman came from a military family, the daughter of a “career military man” who served in the Air Force, and the niece of a member of the Coast Guard.

She was a physician assistant and preparing for deployment to Iraq just a week before this Veterans Day.

But that deployment never came.

Warman, a former Pittsburgh resident with ties to southern Somerset County, was among 13 people shot dead last Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas.

In a Facebook post as reported by The Associated Press, half-sister Kristina Rightweiser said Warman “loved the Army and loved her family very much.”

Warman had worked as a counselor for soldiers returning from deployment who might be struggling through post-traumatic stress disorder.

On this Veterans Day, we say thank you to all the men and women who have served this great country, including those out there right now, risking their lives in dangerous places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

And, like the rest of America, we grieve with the families who lost loved ones during that tragic shooting at Fort Hood, and with those whose loved ones are recovering from injuries suffered at the hands of that gunman.

Yes, we realize that when a soldier heads off to battle, there are great risks involved.

Some don’t return from combat, except to be saluted at their own funerals.

Some who do return carry scars – on the outside from mortar or bullets, on the inside from the experiences and images of war.

But on this Veterans Day, we are also confronted with the dangers of life in this new world, when death can find our country’s best even in the seemingly safe haven of a military base.

And we are filled with newfound appreciation for the sacrifices made by our military women and men in defending their country and the cause of liberty.

Along with Warman, the Fort Hood dead are:

* Michael Grant Cahilll, 62, of Cameron, Texas.

* Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va.

* Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, 32, of Evans, Ga.

* Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, of San Diego County, Calif.

* Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn.

* Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla.

* Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis.

* Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah.

* Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Ill.

* Capt. Russell Seager, 51, of Racine, Wis.

* Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago – who was pregnant.

* Pfc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn.

Daniel DeCrow, father of victim Justin DeCrow, said of his son: “As usual, the last words out of my mouth to him were that I was proud of him. That’s what I said to him every time – that I loved him and I was proud of what he was doing.

“I can carry that around in my heart.”

All of us in this great nation should carry in our hearts a sincere gratitude for those who have worn – or who now wear – the colors of our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

To all veterans, we proudly and humbly say: Thank you.

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