Rosie Court, St. Joseph
Thank you to Tom Klecker, American Legion Post 328 member, who for the past year interviewed veterans and profiled those honorable men and woman in our area who served our country. Your narratives of those veterans shared their personal history, their military service, sometimes painful to describe and other times transforming their lives. It gives us a better understanding of their military experiences and the adverse conditions they endured while serving our country.
Those veterans may be ordinary men and women, but they are all heroes and champions of courage who demonstrated patriotism, honor, commitment, devotion and valiant efforts under extreme conditions whether at home or abroad. They have shown their unending willingness to serve and sacrifice their lives for the freedoms we too often take for granted.
I know I speak for many when I say words cannot express our thanks to our veterans who answered the call of duty whether enlisted or drafted for selflessly and bravely serving our great country. We are forever grateful for the freedoms we share and the opportunities we have.
The American Legion is now entering our second century of service to our veterans, those still serving and their families. As American Legion members we will continue to be a leading voice for veterans rights and extend that same support to future generations as we have in the past.
A special thanks to the Newsleader for publishing the veterans profiles for your readers.