Veterans Day speaker in Reading urges vets to be a positive force for others

Nov. 11—An article written decades ago by Gen. Colin Powell was a life-changer for Wynton Butler, the Army veteran and former Reading High School principal who on Saturday was the main speaker for Berks County's annual Veterans Day ceremony in City Park.

Butler, a retired colonel, said Powell's essay about being a "force multiplier" has inspired him ever since.

To Butler that phrase means working to make the world better, a goal he urged other veterans to strive for.

And to start, Butler said, veterans should prioritize their own well being.

"Take care of yourself first. Remember that you are a veteran," he said.

A key step in that process is to apply for the veterans' benefits they've earned, he said, and he encouraged those who served to consider VA healthcare.

Butler recently went to the Lebanon VA Hospital for the first time in decades and was impressed by the care he saw veterans receiving and the dignity they were treated with.

"I hate hospitals, but I don't mind going to the VA," he said.

He ended his speech by saying that anyone can be a force multiplier just by offering support to veterans.

"Please turn to the nearest veteran and tell them you appreciate their service," he said.

Saturday's event was held by the Combined Veterans Council of Berks County in the Veterans Grove section of City Park. About 200 people attended.

Brig. General Margaret C. "Peggy" Wilmoth of Chapel Hill, N.C., who was in the area visiting friends, was also invited to speak and praised the veterans' family members, saying they could not have served their country with a support system at home.

"No one serves alone," she said.

Reading Mayor Eddie Moran spoke as well, praising the sacrifice of those who have served in the country's military.

"My deepest gratitude to those who answered the call of duty," he said.

The community can thank them by making sure they have sufficient opportunities, health care, and support, he said.

Peter DiCecco of Birdsboro is an Army veteran who was stationed in Vietnam's Mekong Delta from 1967-68, and he said he attends the ceremony each year in part to talk to friends who also served.

But he also comes to visit the large Vietnam Memorial in City Park, which contains the names of 62 from Berks County killed during the war and the three listed as missing in action. Included among them are three men that DeCecco was friends with growing up who died in the war.

Jan Rauhtzhan of Blandon was on hand with her son, grandchildren, and her husband, Robert, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran. She attended to pay tribute to veterans in general, she said, and as a retired history teacher said she understands well why the nation's vets are so important.

"We need to remember those who served," she said.

Robert Wambold Jr. of Pottstown also attended, and wore a vest with patches showing the varied places where he served in the Navy aboard the submarine Robert E. Lee.

Those destinations ranged from the Arctic Circle to Hawaii, though Wambold joked that they all looked the same from under the water on his sub.

He and his wife Lois regularly attend veterans' services, he said, and he had a message for those who also served.

"Just be proud," he said.