Insight: An inseparable bond

By Ed Pierce
Managing Editor

For many Americans, Veterans Day is a day when groups of old guys march around carrying the flag or cash in a promotional card for a free haircut or a dinner entrée at their favorite restaurant.

Airman First Class Ed Pierce, left, receives the
Air Force Communications Command's 'Gold
Quill Award' for newswriting from Lt. Col.
Frank Hill at The Pentagon in Washington,
D.C. in 1980. COURTESY PHOTO 
   

Some might even post photos of themselves on social media while trying to fit into their old military uniform from 25 years ago. Others attend a gathering of veterans and sit around telling old war stories.

For the first 23 years of my life, I observed such behavior from afar and then that all changed on June 10, 1977, when I raised my right hand and pledged that I would support and defend the U.S. Constitution as a new member of the United States Air Force.

My military journey took me from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. From there I went on to Maurice Rose Army Air Field near Bonames, West Germany, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and finally to Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona.

At each one of those stops, I became close friends with others serving in my unit and some of those friendships endure to this very day.

I suppose that if you ask anyone who served in the military, they’ll tell you that it was the people that you served with that helped to make the work different from nearly every other occupation. Each member of the units I was assigned to or on the air bases I was stationed at raised their right hand like I did and affirmed that they were willing to put their lives on the line to defend this nation.

From basic training all along the way as I rose up through the ranks in the Air Force, there was a sense of camaraderie and a realization that at any given time we could all be sent into harm’s way and yet, every military member I knew was willing to make that sacrifice to defend those back home.

Once you experience that, it kind of forms an inseparable bond between friends that survives anything thrown your way like hostile weather, sudden transfers to new duty locations, or helping others in your unit who need assistance.

I can recall our unit being sent on a military exercise in the middle of winter in Germany. We pitched tents on thick sheets of ice in sub-zero temperatures and set up diesel stoves to try and keep warm. For meals while on that excursion we ate C-Rations, canned food left over from the Viet Nam war. Those who got to pick what meal they wanted were considered lucky and usually selected pork and beans or spaghetti and meatballs instead of tuna noodle casserole. C-Rations also included a stale cracker, a decade-old candy bar, an instant coffee packet, a four-pack of old Winston cigarettes and a P-38 can opener tool to open the C-Ration cans.

It always felt like I had just arrived at my new unit and just made good friends when one of us was transferred elsewhere. I lost touch with my buddy Airman First Class James Smith from Los Angeles, California when he was reassigned stateside from Germany. I never saw him again after 1979 and with as many James Smiths as there are in Los Angeles, I decided I probably never will.

Then there was the time we were ordered to take a marksmanship test, and no one could leave until everyone passed the M-16 rifle test. Because of my poor eyesight, I tried and failed three times, scoring less than 30 each time out of 100 shots at the target. With darkness nearing, on my fourth try, two Air Force captains stepped forward and requested to shoot on each side of me to "boost my confidence." It worked because I somehow achieved the impossible and scored 89 out of 100, while both of those officers, who had each had scored 95 or better earlier on the test, suddenly hit less than 40 apiece while trying to inspire me to a greater achievement. 

Those are memories I can’t ever forget and gave me a greater understanding of the reasons that people choose to join the military. You see, I believe each American generation possesses individuals willing to defend America and who cherish the possibilities that this nation holds for all of us.

For me, Veterans Day isn’t just about thanking those who have worn the uniform of the United States, it’s understanding that not everyone is cut out for that job and that it takes all kinds of people to ensure America’s continued freedom, both in and out of uniform. Many step forward every day to volunteer as school crossing guards, visit elderly neighbors, donate to a food drive or simply hold a door for a total stranger.

Now as a military veteran myself, I am grateful that Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans, those still with us or others who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of future generations.

More than anything, Veterans Day to me has come to symbolize the choices each veteran made in raising their right hand and pledging to support and defend the Constitution. <