Thank you for publishing articles from two local Marines in editions of your paper last week. I think it appropriate that you welcome and publish articles related to veterans and current military personnel in the periods preceding and following our two national holidays that recognize veterans. I am pleased that other veterans see the need to publish these articles to help in educating our young people.

Father Epps’ story brought back memories of my arrival at Great Lakes Naval Station way back on June 24, 1944. I was as one of thousands of very recent high school graduates who had been given temporary deferments to obtain our high school diplomas before we answered Uncle Sam’s call. We also had intensive physical training including calisthenics, running the obstacle course, marching and a brief exposure to the rifle range during our 10 weeks of boot camp. None of these activities were a part of my Navy life after boot camp.

When I arrived at Great Lakes I weighed in 35 pounds less than Father Epps and at six feet tall I was know as “Slim” to my baseball teammates. As I recall, I left about five pounds heavier with a little more muscle. I never revisited this Naval base or any of the other places where I received advance training.

I was eventually assigned to the Essex Class aircraft carrier, the USS Antietam, CV-36, right after the ship had finished its shakedown cruise to South America.

The Antietam served twice as troop carrier for groups of Marines as we transported a group of Parris Island grads through the Panama Canal and into San Diego for their assignments. About a week later we carried another group from San Diego into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii along with 50 extra naval aircraft being sent out as replacements.

The Antietam sailed into and out of Pearl Harbor for the next six weeks as we allowed the new air group to complete its training on landings and takeoffs and hone their fighting skills.

In early August 1945 we sailed out of Pearl Harbor to help win the war. Fortunately a day before our air group was scheduled for their first combat mission, President Truman came over the ship speakers announcing the Japanese had agreed to surrender.

I commend Comrade Gaddo for his excellent article on the VFW Buddy Poppy. He did a top-notch job on the history, the traditions and the purpose of the VFW Buddy Poppy.

As quartermaster I am responsible for ordering the flowers, schedule the locations where we distribute poppies and recruiting our personnel and assigning them to the locations.

I also have the pleasure of receiving all of the generous donations to our Veterans Relief Fund, counting and depositing the funds and seeing that this special fund is only used for its restricted purposes. VFW Post 9949 performance on Buddy Poppies is the envy of all the other posts in our district.

Two years ago we ordered and distributed the most poppies in the state. This year one other post also ordered 8,000. Then I find a post at Thomson has ordered 31,000. I plan to find out how they are using this many poppies.

On behalf of all members of VFW Post 9949 and the veterans and veterans’ families that benefit from the proceeds, I thank our resident shoppers for your generous and continuing contributions to our Veterans Relief Fund.

Randy said no contribution is too small or too large and that is true. Our largest contribution that I know of has been $50. I know there are several donations of $20, $10, and $5. Our average collected for each poppy delivered is about $1.

As Randy said, the poppies are free; your donations are warmly and enthusiastically received.

There is one aspect of our VFW Buddy Poppy distribution that is a disgrace locally and nationally: Nobody wears them. Look around you and see how many people wear them just on the holiday; if you see one I’ll be surprised if it’s anywhere but at our Memorial Day Celebration.

When members of a sports team lose a person of significance to the team the members all wear a black armband or if it is a player, his former number. They want to remember this important person and they want the spectators to remember as well.

After the 9-11 tragedy how many of us started wearing U.S. flag emblems and many still are wearing them. If you have occasion to visit either of our two closest allies in WWII around their Remembrance Day (Nov. 11), you’ll find over 50 percent of their citizens wear them and they wear them for weeks. This includes prominent citizens, politicians, lawmakers, members of the press, school children and your everyday men and women going about their daily tasks.

I hope that this last portion will be an inspiration to many of you and that our community will start wearing VFW Buddy Poppies to show that they care.

Let’s not forget that everyday many of our fine young men and women have their lives on the line for our freedom. Soon the body count will mount to 3,000 since 9-11. If on Sundays or at some function you see some crazy guy wearing a VFW Buddy Poppy regardless of the day of the year it will be me.

I have one on my sports coat and if the occasion dictates the need to dress in a sports coat, you’ll see my VFW Buddy Poppy. Yes, I am planning to bring poppies to the Memorial Day Celebration for distribution. I hope that I will be able to say everybody not in uniform was wearing a poppy at this celebration.

Bob Konrad, WWII US Navy veteran
Quartermaster VFW Post 9949
Peachtree City, Ga.

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