Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411140059
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
"It was scary," said Via, now 68 years old and still living in Christiansburg. "My mother cried, my daddy cried and I cried. I still remember it like yesterday."
Via joined approximately 20 other veterans Friday to share stories like these with Christiansburg High School students who held a reception in their honor. Eleventh-graders from Donna Rush's U.S. history classes were the hosts.
The New River Valley boasts more than 18,000 armed forces veterans.
"Veterans Day promotes respect and patriotism, and students need that," Rush said Friday. "I really don't think students today understand how important it is to have these people."
As the veterans, who came from all over the New River Valley, entered the school commons, students greeted them and handed out small American flags.
Many of the men, representing all four branches of the military, knew each other and gathered in small groups to talk. For those who didn't know each other, conversation still came easily, for they share a common bond: they served their country with pride.
There was Rick Dellinger, 46, from Childress. Dellinger remembers standing guard at the Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast of California, watching Russian spy ships.
"I always wondered just how much they were seeing," Dellinger said. "The rumor was they could see what brand of cigarettes you held in your hand."
Walter Price, now 75 and living in Christiansburg, recalled his days in the Seventh Army engineer combat battalion during World War II and said it "was probably the best training any man or woman could receive in their lifetime."
Then there was Christiansburg Town Manager John Lemley who fought in the Korean War as part of the U.S. Army infantry in 1952 and 1953.
"I'll never forget how cold I got in Korea," Lemley said. "I've never gotten over it and I've never liked cold weather since."
Mel Lafon of Blacksburg, who served in the U.S. Army infantry during World War II, said he missed being able to wear civilian clothes when he joined in 1941.
"I had to stand guard around a bomb dump in Washington state," said Lafon, now a 72-year-old retiree. "They told us the Japanese might invade the coast at any time - I was only 18 and I didn't even know where Japan was!"
So what did the students get out of Veterans Day?
"I know they went and fought and risked their lives for us," said 17-year-old Tony Lisanti.
"And they like to tell their stories," added Lee Adkins, 16. "I thought it was a pretty good idea that we did this because we know veterans in our community but we don't know what they actually did."
by CNB