Meeting Recap for November 5, 2012
Poignant Real-Life Reflection Marks Pre-Veterans Day Observance
With the Veterans Day national holiday (observance) scheduled for next Monday – and thus no meeting on November 12 – Rotary's annual observation of our salute to veterans was held on November 5th, with an emotionally stirring program that truly captured the spirit of the day.
Presentation of the Colors by Boy Scout Troop 107 was led by Caleb Ward, who also led the assembly in the salute to our Flag. After a stirring patriotic tune from Rotary's own Four Way Test and Thought for the Day by Carolyn Carr, Chairman of the Day Craig Brown, humorously noted that he was a PFC in the Marine Reserves and wondered why he was enlisted for the day's duty. But Craig did a yeoman's job proceeding through a standing roll-call of all the veteran members of our armed forces and Merchant Marine in attendance, including Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine regulars, reserves and National Guard members, who received recognition for their service to our nation.
Chairman Brown introduced Speaker of the Day Tom Knox, son of our late President Phil Knox and author of Letters from 'Nam, a Family Memoir. Tom kept the entire assembly riveted with his recollections, most of which are chronicled in that 2005 book. Still available in paperback on Amazon, among other locations, Letters from 'Nam is a family affair, with contributions from Tom's brother John, father Phil and mother Joan. But it was Tom's recounting of the family's Vietnam experience that held the moment.
He read one of brother John's passages, relating the day his "world came crashing in" during a Vietcong attack on his Marine unit that left him severely injured. "I do not remember fear, only helplessness," John Knox wrote.
Most poignantly, Tom recalled his own later graduation from OCS in a reading of one of Phil Knox's entries. John Knox's injuries cost him the full use of the right side of his body. Father Phil proudly recounted the day John struggled to get back into his dress uniform, replace his missing medals before the ceremony and make his way to the stage before Tom marched across for graduation. There stood John ready to salute his newly minted-officer brother. Until then he had been unable to raise his hand above his waist, but on that day, slowly willing his hand toward his brow, John produced "the grandest military salute ever."
Tom's presentation was a fitting tribute not only to a fine family but to all veterans of military service, and Rotarians showed their appreciation with a standing ovation.
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Corporate recruiter Christopher Johnson was Sponsor of the Day. He proudly produced a slide show of some of the young participants in his Chris Johnson Basketball Academy, a program aimed at enriching the lives of school-age kids in Elk Grove. The slide show featured the Academy's 10-and-under AAU competitive team that won fourth place (out of thousands of teams around the country) in this year's AAU National Championships in Florida.
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Rita Gibson introduced the club's newest member, CPA Marty Carling-Smith. Rita revealed that Marty was a long-time friend, going back to when they were both dating step-brothers. Marty, who has run a number of half marathons, was sponsored by Rita and Bob Biko.