Memorial Day Reflection

On this Memorial Day I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my own family's contribution to the military of this great country. My middle name, Raymond, bestowed upon me when I was born, is a name I am very proud of, as it is the first name of my uncle Raymond Wetzel, a handsome young man who left his university studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to enlist in the Army Air Corps just after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.

He went through pilot training to become a fighter pilot, the most difficult of all the regimens, as only the very best were chosen to fly single seat fighter planes.

He completed his training, was assigned to flying the P-38 Lightning, a twin-boomed, very fast, well armed fighter plane that saw extensive duty in both theatres of WWII. While awaiting his final orders to ship out to England with his fighter group (they would be flying escort to B-17 and B-24 Bombers over Europe) he tragically met his death, when upon a practice flight, he came in to fast, crashed and burned.

The Wetzels (my mother's side of the family) were a large family of five girls and two boys. The other son, Frances, also served in WWII as a cook in the ETO, and fortunately, he lived through the war.

My oldest brother, Bob, served in the army just after the "police action" in Korea, and was, in fact, stationed in Korea during that tense time just after the war.

I served with Company A, 128th Infantry, the National Guard unit out of Menomonie, Wisconsin, taking my basic training at Fort Leonard, Missouri, and my advanced infantry training at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Upon returning to my home unit, I entered school at UWEC and only finished one semester when we were called to active duty by President Kennedy and shipped to Fort Lewis, Washington for 10 months of active duty during what was called "The Berlin Crisis".

I will always remember the guilt my father, Jack, unnecessarily carried because he was not allowed to go into military service during WWII. As a farmer, his skills were needed much more on the home front. It was a burden that he uncomfortably carried all his life.

So, on this day of remembrance, I will say a prayer for my uncle Raymond and for all our armed forces personnel. Let us hope that we finally achieve some political leadership that will truly "support our troops" by bringing them home NOW!