Society has become a most interesting place in that just about every day is designated a special day for one reason or another, for reasons big, small, unique and — sometimes – puzzling. Before the summer is over, we will have found reason to celebrate any number of issues and to designate many with a dedicated day of celebration. But for one category of persons, every day is worthy of appreciation.
In entering the summer months and all the family gatherings, I could not stop thinking about the roughly 1% of our populations who are major reasons why we as a nation are free, and able to enjoy holidays with our loved one – BECAUSE OF MILITARY VETERANS! Personally, at holiday gatherings I continue to visualize the faces of wonderful men with who I have served who made the ultimate sacrifice, and who will never know the exhilaration of having children, grandchildren and all the wonderful attributes that we as citizens of this great nation enjoy, and for which far too many of our fellow citizens takes for granted. Without intending to sound melodramatic, these images are burned into my soul and my memory and like most veterans, I would not have it any other way. To Corporal Russ Rowe who was cut down by machine gun fire, Major Bob Ashby who died from oil well fires, Colonel Tim Anderson who fell prey to Agent Orange, Sergeant Major Robert Cottle who died from hostile fire and hundreds of other colleagues, I will never forget you nor will I let other forget you either! Two of these heroes were local police officers; Tim Anderson was afflicted, and Bob Cottle was fatally wounded, both while on military leave of absence from the Los Angeles Police Department.
In my column, LEADER TO LEADER, I am hard pressed to think of a more profound way of demonstrating leadership than to loudly and conspicuously give a continuing voice to our wonderful men and women who have served and are continuing to serve our nation, than to honor their service each day. As we enjoy our hamburgers, think of the thousands of service men and women whose meals are covered with knats; as we enjoy the sunset, think of the thousands of service men and women who are being bitten non-stop by mosquitos, and as we enjoy that ice cream cone, think again of those thousands of men and women who would really like to have something, anything that is just cold. These are not historic comments based on memories, but rather realities that are occurring right now as you read this article! These are the daily activities of those wonderful men and women who make up the roughly one percent of the population who play such a profound role in keeping the rest of us safe!
I continue to be involved in a wonderful endeavor that honors military veterans around the clock in the Eastern San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County in California, and something than can be easily replicated throughout the United States. Kara Larsen, herself a military widow and the owner of a Kara’s Korner Deli constructed a large sign that she has placed at the entrance to her restaurant, and on that massive display are over 100 canvas-velcro patches, each dedicated to a military veteran who resides in the community. To protect against imposters, all veterans are validated by military documentation. Each of the 5X5” inch patches contain the preferred unit patch of each man or women, his or her highest award, and miscellaneous qualification badges. Obviously, each veteran’s name is very conspicuous for all to see. These wonderful men and women, with service ranging from World War II (only 2 left), Cuba, Vietnam and the Mille East – Gulf are fiercely proud of their presence on the display and visit often with guests and loved ones. These veterans are the cream of our work forces, and the persons who are typically referred to as the best teachers, best mechanics, finest physicians and most compassionate police officers. Kara ensures that each veteran’s service is acknowledged and appreciated each and every day!
I invite the reader to not only look at the photo of the display, but to enlarge it and reflect on all the awards and decorations that are reflected. From purple hearts to valor awards to good conduct medals and everything in between, these are folks who “paid their dues” and for whom the rest of society owes a debt of gratitude that can never be completely repaid. Russ, Bob, Tim and Bob – You and your sacrifices will never be forgotten. God bless each of you and your families, and the United States of America.
A final thought for each reader; what would our work forces look like were it not for the skills, discipline and work ethics contributed by our veterans over the years? Our veterans not only served and sacrificed in conventional ways, but over the years they have played a major role in strengthening the backbone and professionalism of our work forces. The two words of leadership and veterans are intrinsically linked!
In one form or another, let us all celebrate each day as a Veteran’s Day!
Keith Bushey retired from the Los Angeles Police Department as a commander, from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy chief, and from the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel. Other law enforcement experience includes having served as a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, a State of California deputy game warden, and as the Marshal of San Bernardino County. He is an instructor emeritus for the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and has lectured and written extensively in the areas of leadership, management and ethics. His entire eight booklet Leadership Series is in the public domain and may be downloaded without cost from KeithBushey.com.
Sept 2024