Happy Veterans Day
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Veterans Day is an important day in America as well as to me personally.
My late dad served in World War II from 1942-1945 and was stationed in the Philippines and later New Guinea. After the Pacific part of the war concluded, it was shortly thereafter that he married my mom in 1946 but during the war they did not see each other for almost 3 years. He was in the Army Air Force as it was known then and was honorably discharged as a First Sergeant. While he never spoke much about his experiences there, he was still proud to serve his country. As a war correspondent during the war, Walter Cronkite (working for United Press at that time before joining CBS) went a couple of years himself without seeing his wife Betsy. CBS Founder and Chairman William S. Paley served as an Army officer under General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his staff as part of the Allies' SHEAF Command in Europe.
During the late 60's and 70's, the Vietnam War was almost always the lead story on network news. Whether you watch the CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite, The Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC, or ABC News/ABC Evening News (with anchors like Harry Reasoner, Peter Jennings, Frank Reynolds, Howard K. Smith, and Barbara Walters), this was the first war that made its impact on people through television.
Since there were no satellites available yet for live news gathering use like today, war news footage was shot on film, flown back to New York, processed, and then shown on the nightly network news. There was approximately a two day delay from the time the footage left Vietnam until it hit the air. And every Friday night, I remember Cronkite reporting the weekly casualty reports, both for us, South Vietnam, and the North Vietnamese. That has stuck with me all these years.
There was also an active draft in place at that time for men 18 and older conducted by the Selective Service System. Within 30 days of turning 18, all men were (and still are) required to register with Selective Service for potential drafting into the military. I remember the drafts being televised live on the big three networks, done in lottery type style (pull a date to go with a number). The lower the number, the higher the risk of being drafted. It was a difficult time for our fine men and women in uniform who came back from Vietnam who didn't receive the respect and support so deserving. And it was even harder for those family members who loved ones that served who did not return home alive.
However, those attitudes all changed with 9-11 in 2001 and once again it became a honor and privilege to serve our country in the U.S. Military. I have an immediate family member in the military today and extremely proud of his service to our country.
If you see active duty military out and about, take a moment and thank them for their service. If you know a veteran, thank them for their past service as well. We are here… because of them.
Happy Veterans Day! See you next time.
