Lodi Veterans Day ceremony highlights the sacrifice of service

Nov. 12—The definition of a veteran is anyone who served in any branch of the armed forces and was discharged other than dishonorably.

However, Don Goodrich, keynote speaker at the Lodi American Legion Post 22's annual Veterans Day ceremony Friday, said the true meaning of the word is much deeper.

"Veterans served in many ways," he said. "Some defended our great country at home. Others were deployed overseas in many different lands, under many different circumstances to defend our great nation, and many times fight oppression."

A U.S. Navy veteran, Goodrich served three tours in Vietnam with aviation squadrons, providing photographic reconnaissance of the war-torn country, as well as close support with bombing missions for ground troops engaged with the enemy.

Goodrich comes from a long line of veterans dating back to the Civil War, where one ancestor had a bullet part his hair during the battle of Chickamauga, and had his discharge signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

His grandfather served with Walt Disney in the American Ambulance Corps in France during World War I, and his father served on the USS Abner Read during World War II.

The Abner Read was sunk at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines by the Japanese Kamikaze, but his father swam to safety and and saved the lives of many shipmates.

Other family members served in the Army Air Corps as bombardiers, top gunners on B-17s, paratroopers, and in many other capacities.

Those family members inspired Goodrich to enlist in the Navy, and his daughter has followed in his footsteps, serving in the same branch for two tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Goodrich is the past commander of American Legion Post 102 in Valley Springs and past first vice commander of the American Legion's District 13.

He currently serves as commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2600, and is a member of the Vietnam Veterans Society.

Rather than speak about his experiences during the war, Goodrich detailed the history of Veterans Day and noted many who served that may or may not be known to the general public, including Samuel Whittemore, Sgt. Alvin York and Pat Tillman.

Whittemore was a farmer and soldier, thought to be the oldest known combatant in the American Revolutionary War.

During the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1776, Whittemore, 78, was in his fields when he saw British soldiers approaching. He loaded muskets and ambushed the soldiers, killing two and mortally wounded a third.

He was shot in the face, bayoneted several times and left for dead, but colonial forces found him and took him to a nearby hospital. He lived to be 96 years old.

York was one of the most decorated U.S. Army soldiers of World War I, capturing some 84 Germans after mimicking a turkey — a sound they had never heard — and picking them off one by one when they raised their heads above the trench line.

He shot 18 soldiers before the Germans charged, and then shot seven more. York and his unit ended up capturing 132 Germans on his way back to his own lines.

Tillman was a linebacker for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals in 2001. After the events of 9/11, he left his pro football career behind and enlisted in the Army the following May.

He was killed by friendly fire in April of 2004 in Afghanistan.

Goodrich noted women veterans as well, including Molly Pitcher and Clara Barton.

Pitcher, the nickname given to who historians believe is Mary Ludwig Hays, served as a water-carrier for Gen. George Washington's troops at Valley Forge in the winter of 1776.

Barton, of course, was a nurse during the Civil War and founded the American Red Cross.

Goodrich even noted an animal veteran: Sergeant Stubby, a dog and unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment during World War I.

He served for 18 months and participated in 17 battles on the Western Front, saving the regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, and finding and comforting the wounded.

Stubby allegedly once caught a German soldier by the seat of his pants, holding him there until American soldiers found him.

Goodrich said 8% of American veterans are women, and more than 21 million veteran are alive today. More than 9 million are older than 65, he said.

During the Missing Man portion of the ceremony, Post 22 service officer Ken Kramlich said California has the most veterans that are still reported missing, at 162.

The Missing Man ceremony typically involves a table with empty place settings for six. Friday's ceremony had a table set for one. The empty chair represents Americans who were, or are missing from each branch of the Armed Forces — Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard — and civilians.

As of this time, there are still 81,500 American soldiers missing around the world, he said.

In addition, 41,000 are presumed dead from disease.

Goodrich said all veterans, both alive and dead, left family, friends, pets, and their typical family life behind when they answered the call to serve.

"All of us left something behind, and all of us left something behind when we returned home," he said. "Most of us aren't the same. Many saw wars beyond belief in defense of our country. And all of us returned, our souls changed for life. We never looked at the world the same way through the same eyes as we did when we left. We were changed forever."