President Stacie Cook rang the bell at 12:07 pm to start the meeting. She then gave special recognition to all the veterans in attendance. Bob Hampton offered a very heartfelt and timely prayer. He also noted the Friday, November 10th is the 248th Anniversary of the Marines. Josh Phillips introduced the Wichita Falls High School ROTC Team who provided the Presentation of the Flags. The pledge was lead by the ROTC Team Leader. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was sung by Minesa Nesbit, Music Teacher at Burkburnett Middle School. Minesa gave an outstanding performance appreciated by all.
Shirley Craft introduced the Key Note Speaker, Colonel Brad Orgeron, Commander of the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base. Colonel Orgeron is also in charge of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT) located at Sheppard AFB that trains pilots from 14 countries.
Colonel Orgeron graduated in 1999 for the Air Force Academy and has over 3,000 flying hours with over half in the F-15 C/D including 89 hours in combat. He has served in several combat areas including Iraq as well as other assignments around the world. He noted that Veterans Day initially started on Armistice Day at the close of World War I, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. His family has served in the military for many generations including is great grandfather in World War I, both of his grandfathers in WWII and his father who is an Air Force Officer.
Colonel Orgeron noted that there is currently a shortage of Air Force recruits for the first time in history. 70% of recruits come from military families. Less than 1% of the US citizens have served in the military. One task that Colonel Orgeron has been assigned is to be more engaging with the local community. This has been problematic since 9/11 which resulted in bases being more closed to the public than in previous years. The Air Force is trying to be more engaging in spite of these obstacles. He pointed out that the US has the most educated military force in the world.
Colonel Orgeron introduced our Special Guest Speaker, Dale Nelson, who is a WWII veteran and will celebrate is 100th year birthday next month. Dale served on a Naval LST ship during the war serving in Africa to Sicily to Burma. He is involved locally in our Strait Street program and wants kids in the program to have the opportunity to serve their country and be productive citizens in our society. He currently resides at the Presbyterian Manor. His close friend Joe White who served in the Marines during the Korean War was also in attendance.
Dale had only 4 months of training before being charged into action. His flat bottom LST ship (Landing Ship, Tank) was designed to deliver soldiers and equipment to and from the shore. He has always strongly believed in the power of prayer and shared the following story. His ship was stationed in Burma unloading British troops when they received orders to go to Scotland some 8,000 miles away. While in route through the Suez Canal, one soldier named Al was hit in the head by a hatch and was in serious condition. The ship landed in Suez City and Dale wanted to get the wounded soldier off the ship for medical help, but the Captain and the Executive Officer would not allow it. Dale planned to get their attention by writing a narrative describing the events that had occurred and planned on having the Captain and the Executive Officer sign the document. One night, Al was semi-conscious and Dale prayed for him. The next day Dale was able to talk to the Engineering Officer, Mr. Pool, who went to take a look at Al. Mr. Pool told Dale they would get Al off the ship. The Mr. Pool pumped the fresh water off the ship so they would have to dock to take on fresh water. Once docked, Al was taken off the ship and taken to a hospital. About 2 two months later, Dale received a letter from Al from the Charleston Naval Hospital. He had undergone surgery and survived. Al and Dale became best friends for over 40 years and Al was even the best man at Dale’s wedding. A happy ending based on the power of prayer.
All of the veterans in the room were asked to stand and state their branch of service and years served. Major branches (Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy) were represented. Each veteran was provided a special flag pin in honor of their service.
President Cook closed the meeting at 1:00 pm with the Four Way Test.