ARLINGTON — Arne Lee Anderson never served in the military, but every Veterans Day he and daughter Shelby, 10, hold signs of support as they sit on the curb of Olympic Avenue.
The annual Veterans Day parade in Arlington saw plenty of former and current military members in the street and on the sidewalks this week.
Ed Molsee wore his uniform shirt from his days as an Army Airborne helicopter pilot from 1967-70, during which he was awarded two bronze stars, while former corpsman “Doc” Ronald Ateman sported a few of his pins from his 22 years.
“I loved it,” said Ateman, who retired in 2000. “The travel and education were invaluable. It left me with a balance of good and bad memories, but definitely good feelings. If you’re going into the service, you should be hungry to learn, because it will save your life.”
After the local chapters of the American Legion, along with its Sons and Auxiliary, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars had marched down Arlington’s main street, the Post 76 Legion Lounge opened up to veterans and civilians alike for lunch.
Fellow sailors Jeff Isom and Chris Nelson reminisced about their respective wars. Isom was a hull technician from 1989-99 during the first Persian Gulf war, while Nelson served as a signalman from 1969-73, during Vietnam. They agreed that the camaraderie of their shipmates helped keep them sane at sea, even as they acknowledged the different receptions they received from the public.
“We had people cheering us on, and guys like Chris were getting punched in the face,” said Isom, who was nonetheless met with hostility in Panama, after the 1990 ouster of Manuel Noriega, and in Bahrain, in the wake of America’s 1991 bombing of Iraq. “My politics weren’t always the same as my family’s. My parents didn’t always agree with what I was doing.”
Nelson cited the fraternal feelings between those who serve at sea by saying, “Water can be thicker than blood. When we left port, people were throwing paint-filled balloons at us. I still had to go because I was drafted. I had no choice.”
Although they considered themselves fortunate to serve on ship rather than pounding the ground, the two sailors agreed that cruises carry their own sacrifices and haunting experiences.
“I was onboard the carrier, but I saw when our planes would come back all shot up,” Nelson said. “Sometimes, they didn’t come back at all. We were all gone from our families.”
Indeed, Isom eventually retired because he couldn’t bear to say goodbye to his family for another deployment.
“After ten years, I had two kids, so I had to think about them when I chose whether to put myself in harm’s way,” Isom said. “But I learned to respect all different races and peoples in the Navy. They took me, a small-town country boy, and threw me into a mix with all these other folks, and made us blend.”
At age 72 next month, Air Force veteran Arthur Otto likewise spoke of his love and respect for all the branches of service.
Otto requested simply that he receive the same respect he affords others.
“I had to handle communications and data processing between bases and ships,” said Otto, who served from 1964-68. “We had aisles of computers and printers, and I had to keep up with all those messages, but I did it with stamina and by being upbeat. I’ve always maintained a smile, so I hope to get smiles back from others.”
