Veterans Day 2022
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Retired US Army Major Infantry Officer
Tomorrow is Veteran Day, 11 November 2022. This is a day to recognize the service and sacrifice of the folks who pledged to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic” by raising their right hand and were required to recite these words of allegiance to our country.
Counting my 4 years at West Point, I spent 24 years of my life in a uniform and serving my country. It was an awesome experience and I’m glad I made that choice. It was a honor to serve our country.
Military service changes all who serve, and most aspects are positive. We gained maturity quickly, learned many new skills, tested our resolve, became resilient, learned how to handle extreme stress and trauma, and made sacrifices to defend our country. Not all of us handled it the same—some still have problems associated with their service.
It’s been 31 years since I served. I went on to teach and coach for another 20 years before working full time in our travel business. The lessons learned from my military experience govern all aspects of my life—character and action count more than words.
A phrase from the West Point cadet prayer has always been very meaningful to me, as it has served as a summary of how I wanted to live my life and I thought you might like to know about it. Here it is
“Encourage us in our endeavor to live above the common level of life. Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole truth can be won.
Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy.”
Those are difficult goals to achieve and my personal guidelines to live by every day. I have tried to and hope I have been successful but there is always room for improvement.
Just reading my thoughts and seeing how my service changed me, you can understand better how each who has donned the uniform might have developed in their lives. They have done more than defend our country. They usually set higher standards, have good work ethics, and make us a better nation.
Less than 1 % of the population of the US (0.727% in a Google search) are on active duty now. According to the US Census Bureau, there are 18.2 million veterans. AARP reports that about 13 million are 50 years or older like me.
We did not all serve under the same conditions. My father served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. I never served in a combat deployment.
While I can’t verify how totally accurate these numbers are, here are some reasonable figures for the personal cost of the 4 major wars including WW II from 1941 to present:
WW II 1.076,245 dead and wounded;
Korea 128,650 dead and wounded;
Vietnam 211,454 dead and wounded;
the War on Terror (Afghanistan and Iraq Wars) 57,614 dead and wounded.
I think these sobering figures say how lucky my Dad was to survive 7 years of combat for our nation by being deployed in 3 of these 4 conflicts.
In many ways it is ironic the public perception of military service during my service. At 18 years old as a cadet at West Point, I was called a “Baby Killer” by an angry group of Vietnam War protesters during the Armed Forces Parade in New York City in 1968. Later, the comments were almost always positive.
I guess those who protest fail to realize soldiers seldom make the decision to go to war; it is our political leaders who declare war or deploy troops. Yet we are the face of their decisions and a much more accessible target of public ire. Perhaps those who feel this way should remember we are defending their freedoms to protest government decisions.
I would be remiss if I didn’t cite the families who support our soldiers. It is a very personal journey; fear, and joy; never knowing if a loved one will come home each day. They deserve to be honored also for their sacrifice and loyalty to our nation by supporting their soldiers during their military service.
As a tribute to those who have served and are now serving, I thought I’d share with you some photos of military service, some personal, and some honoring the sacrifice of those who fought for our freedom from our travels in Europe.
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial honors the American soldiers who died in WW II. This is the final resting place for 9,385 killed and a memorial for 1,557 reported missing.
The Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc erected by the French government. It is located atop a German bunker and commemorates the rangers scaling the 100 foot cliffs and seizing the gun emplacements on this point and later finding and disabling those artillery pieces.
Luxembourg American Cemetery. This photo was taken in 1989. 5,075 are buried here and it honors 371 reported missing.
My Dads’ Command Photo from Vietnam. He was the Brigade Commander of the 18th Engineer Brigade from 1969 to 1970.
My Dads’ graveside marker in Arlington National Cemetery.
Anne and I at Ft. Ord CA celebrating New Year’s Eve. I was the S1 (personnel officer) of 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division when this photo was taken.
I salute my brothers and sisters in arms—you have done well and deserve recognition on Veteran’s Day.
Be safe and well—you have lived beyond the common level of life!
Henry Carl “Hank” Schrader, Jr. Major, Infantry Retired
Hank in Panama in 1978. I was the company commander of B 4 20 Infantry (mechanized).
