By RosaLyn Queen
What does November 11 mean to you? On the calendar it says Veterans Day. Does this mean that it is a paid holiday from work? Does it mean a day to go out and enjoy a parade? It can mean a long weekend that will allow you to take a trip to the mountains for a vacation before the busy holidays.
As a young girl I can remember references to Veterans Day but not to the real meaning.
My story starts with my father Bill Burnett. He was an Italian immigrant who was born in San Giovanni in 1905. His father was Giovanni Oliverio who came to America when Dad was just two years old to get a job and then send for dad and my grandmother. He went to work at the Monongah mine and was killed there in the explosion. My grandmother remarried and her new husband Lougi Burnett brought the family to America. At this point my grandmother changed dad’s name to Burnett. There is a little bit of a void as to just what went on with the family but many times I heard the story from my dad about him joining the service. Just another story of the Italian immigrant wanting to serve his country. As the story goes dad lied about his age to get into the Marines. So this means he enlisted at 17 which would make it 1922. He was so proud to be a Marine. His story always was only the “few and the proud” got to be a Marine. His story to us always ended there. Other than a Marine uniform in a trunk in the basement and a preserved bug about the size of your hand in a box which he said came from Nicaragua. He said he was at Quantico and went from there to Nicaragua.
As I wrote this I wondered why Nicaragua ?
There was a lot of turmoil going on in Nicaragua between foreign countries and the United States needed access to the land there to get products from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean by train. Marines were sent there to help preserve political stability in Central America. It later came in a declaration of Independence from Spain. Marines were there to maintain order and to train Nicaraguan soldiers. In 1931 Marines were absolved of responsibility for enforcing peace in Nicaragua.
Now I have an altogether different outlook on Veterans Day. I may never learn just what my dad did there but I know he was very proud to be a veteran. Let’s all resolve to honor our veterans and to realize the role they have played in our freedom.
I firmly believe that all of our young adults should serve our country. I think it would make a difference in our youth. Well just my opinion.
Take care. Salute a Veteran. Stay healthy and until next week “Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine.”: