Keeping veterans in Veterans Day

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

Vietnam veteran Bill Orr stands alongside his restored M-37 Army Truck, which he drives in parades and uses to haul wood. As the sign indicates, Orr thinks it’s important to support our nation’s soldiers, and he’s considering a trip to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. for Veterans’ Day to pay his respects.

There are a lot of ways to mark Veterans Day, and Milton resident Bill Orr is leaning toward visiting the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington D.C.

Sitting in his kitchen, near a collection of plates depicting The Wall (as he calls it), Orr said it’s about paying respect. The plates above his table each have a different illustration, but that concept is central to all of them; a recurring image in many is a somber visitor, touching the wall with head down in remembrance of a familiar name.

Having served in Vietnam with the Army for parts of 1966-67 and visited the monument numerous times since it was established, Orr can vouch for the accuracy of those depictions.

“A lot of the hardcore veterans go at one or two a.m.,” he said. “It’s an emotional thing, they want privacy.”

Veterans Day, which is November 11 each year, was established as a national holiday to honor veterans of all wars in 1954.

The date commemorates cessation of hostilities in the World War One. It was originally know as Armistice Day and focused on honoring veterans of that war, but that scope was expanded in the wake of WWII and the Korean War.

While the focus has been widened, it should remain on veterans, said Orr’s wife Gail. In a perfect world, that would be the case, she said.

“We would actually honor veterans with programs,” she said. “We wouldn’t make it a sales event…it’s too commercialized.”

Veterans and veteran affairs are on an ongoing concern for Orr, who volunteers as a benefits coordinator for Vietnam Veterans of America, a national non-profit organization. His work in that capacity typically centers of helping veterans get their benefit paperwork lined-up, but has also included accompanying veterans to the hospital.

Orr himself is no stranger to that venue, having earned three purple hearts in the line of duty. As part of a reconnaissance outfit (1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry) his jobs ranged from door gunner on a helicopter to investigating underground passages. He was grazed with a .50 caliber bullet and had a close call with a mortar while performing those duties. He also has issues that linger to this day with his left hand, which was wounded by shrapnel and battery acid when a bullet shattered his handheld flashlight while investigating a tunnel.

It could have been worse, explained Orr. He recounted one incident where he felt compelled to stop walking in the midst of field; looking down, he noted a trip wire just in front of his feet, which was strung to a nearby grenade and artillery round.

Close calls aside, Orr’s overarching impression of Vietnam was of the group working together, and looking out for each other to protect the unit. Looking out for veterans is something he clearly retains to this day.

A Florida native, Orr signed up at age 18 for a three-year hitch in 1964. It was the best way to move out and up for a young southern man, he said.

While he’s come a long ways since then, Orr has stayed close with his military background. He’s commander of the local American Legion chapter, and proudly displays a restored M-37 Army truck on his lawn.

The truck is adorned with a sign that says “support our troops, may they return soon.” Orr termed that an important message.

“I don’t think you can do enough to get that message across,” he said. “Their job is so you can sleep at night…freedom isn’t free.”