Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Soldiers from 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, speak with veterans, Nov. 10, at the...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas – “It took guts to lead platoons into the jungle and come back, and some of them didn’t,” said Eddie Velez, a Vietnam War veteran, to Spc. Elijah Foster, a security manager with 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
Foster, a fourth-generation service member, sat with Velez for more than two hours November 10, at the William R. Courtney Texas State Veterans Home in Temple, Texas, talking about the parallels of people joining the military today versus in Velez’s day, and the experiences Velez had in his 29 years in the military.
“That first hour he wasn’t open really, he was just joking around a lot,” Foster said. “After a while I saw a very wide range of emotions.”
From anger to sadness to pride, Velez’s emotions became an open book for Foster and other Soldiers from the brigade who listened to the stories Velez shared.
Foster said Velez shared with him a story about how one day while serving in Vietnam an enemy combatant threw a grenade into the middle of Velez’s squad.
“He said he picked it up and threw it back without thinking,” Foster explained.
Velez’s act of selflessness and bravery gave Foster a new sense of pride, he said.
“It definitely gave me a sense of pride to be an American knowing that those guys went over there and did the things they did pretty much without any say and still they…did what they were ordered, they never looked back, and they accomplished their missions,” he said.
Though the act reflected bravery to Foster, Velez was humbled by his experiences and the men with whom he served.
“I was lucky enough to be in the company of some of the bravest men I will ever know,” he explained.
Foster said that the way Velez carries himself says he has been through a lot and is proud of his service.
“The way he talked about it, that’s not something you can get from reading a book or looking at a magazine or watching something on TV,” Foster said.
At the end of his visit, Foster left with more than pride in serving his country.
“It was a memorable experience in the Army hearing what others have been through,” Foster explained. “It gave me a better line of sight of what I’m really here for and ... what I have the opportunity to accomplish.”
| Date Taken: | 11.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2016 13:45 |
| Story ID: | 188620 |
| Location: | TEMPLE, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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