Veteran's Day 2008
On 11/11/2008, the Rotary Club of Smyrna, Georgia commemorated the end of World War I.
On November 11 at precisely 11 am Paris time, 1918, World War I was over – exactly four years, three months and two weeks after it started at 11 am on July 28, 1914. And while the guns went silent and men celebrated on the ground, American "Ace of Aces" Eddie Rickenbacker took off from Rembercourt, France to take his Spad XIII up for a last war time spin:
"About 10:00 I sauntered out to the hanger... I climbed into the plane and took off. I arrived over Verdun at 10:45 and proceeded on towards Conflans, flying over no-mans land. I was at less than 500 feet. I could see both Germans and Americans crouching in their trenches, peering over with every intention of killing any man who revealed himself to the other side. From time to time ahead of me on the German side I saw a burst of flame, and I knew that they were firing at me. Back at the field later I found bullet holes in my ship. I glanced at my watch. One minute to 11:00, thirty seconds, fifteen. And then it was 11:00A.M., the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. I was the only audience for the greatest show ever presented. On both sides of no-mans land, the trenches erupted. Brown-uniformed men poured out of the American trenches, gray-green uniforms out of the German. After four years of slaughter and hatred, they were not only hugging each other but kissing each other on both cheeks as well. I turned my ship toward the field. The war was over."
This year, the Smyrna Rotary Club held an intimate celebration for Veterans Day on November 11, 2008 – the 90th Anniversary of the End of World War I. In the morning under the gray low slung cotton-ball clouds, Smyrna Parks and Recreation Director Steve Ciaccio and Rotarian Narayan Sengupta planted 270 American flags on the lawn of the Smyrna Veterans Memorial. The actual ceremony started at 11 am with a flyover by three UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in honor of the 11 am ending of World War I.
Sengupta opened the meeting and introduced Smyrna's Mayor Pro Tem Wade Lnenicka.
Wade Lnenicka (pictured above) spoke about Smyrna's, Cobb's and Georgia's contribution to World War I noting that Smyrna had four killed in World War I and that 87,000 Georgians had served in World War I.
Gordon Jones (pictured above), Director of the Atlanta History Center, read a letter about World War II including the following: "think about the men who came home in boxes or the men who never came home at all. Think of the war telegrams that began with 'we regret to inform you…' The commemorators then passed the microphone around to the veterans who were there. Quite a number spoke.
Major Ed Wooten (pictured above), age 93, dressed sharply in his uniform with gold oak leaves on his epaulettes, reminisced about his landing at Okinawa reminding listeners that there were 49,000 casualties for the 60 mile long island.
Another man (pictured above at left) survived both the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. A number of Vietnam Veterans from Smyrna and Mableton conveyed emotionally what they had gone through and how glad they were that Smyrnans turned out for the event. Smyrna Kiwanis Club President Ron Davis, with a total of 31 years of active duty, recalled his service in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. Another veteran spoke of the 167 missions he flew in Vietnam.
Ernie Curtis, a veteran from 1956 to 1965 said that he was honored to attend and simply thanked the crowd. Bob Stewart, from Michigan, was in the navy for 20 years and encouraged veterans to continue to teach younger generations about our collective history. The three Blackhawks – thanks to Col. Brent Bracewell, Capt. J. D. Crill and Warrant Officer Ken Dyson at Dobbins Air Reserve Base returned to fly straight over the Smyrna Veterans Memorial again at 11:30.
Billy Martin from the Rotary Club spoke about his father's experience in France in World War I and brought a post card of the Paris Opera house his father had written to his mother from Field Hospital 110 in Le Suze, France in April, 1919 – a few months after the war finally ended. Other Rotarians spoke next, starting with Johnny Wilson who spoke briefly about his 12 years in the USAF. Mike Hammock talked about his experience in Vietnam. Bob Malone did two tours of duty in Southeast Asia, retired from the army after 20 years of service. His father was with the 2nd Infantry Division during World War I.
Campbell High School graduate Maurice Middleton (pictured above) - a veteran of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and Afghanistan was the youngest of the speakers and also spoke in the Smyrna Memorial Day ceremony in May. He is still in the military. "Keep this up and hopefully next year's ceremony can be even bigger," Maurice advised. Non-veterans spoke about veterans who touched their lives.
Alexander Jahn and Pascal Gouteix (pictured above) both spoke about how they appreciated the veterans for what they had done to create America as a place that they believe in so strongly. Jeffrey Tucker spoke about one of his family friends. Janel Sengupta spoke about her father Dennis Kubicki who served in the infantry in Vietnam and who passed away a year ago. Jennie Scott also spoke about her father - Wilkie McFarland who flew C-47s over the Himalayas from India to China during World War II. The Veterans gathered underneath the military flags on the Smyrna Veterans Memorial for a group photo. Dan Hoppe led the group in a moment of silence as the Blackhawks flew by a third time at noon.
Anyone interested in being interviewed, sharing stories or photos of their experience as a veteran or interested in participating and/or planning for next year's event, please e-mail Narayan Sengupta – Contact Us.
