5.30.21

Ep. 123: Veteran Honors on Memorial Day and Beyond

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Mike Hale, Veteran Honor Guard as a guest on the Consumers Credit Union podcast, Money, I'm Home.

In honor of Memorial Day, Lynne is joined by Vietnam veteran Mike Hale to discuss the meaning of Memorial Day and his role with the Kent County Veterans Honor Guard.

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0:00:07.0 Lynne Jarman-Johnson (LJJ): Money, I’m Home welcome in. I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit Union. From finance to fitness, we have it all. And you know what, we love to bring you stories about people who are making a difference in our communities, and today we have a very special one for you on this Memorial Day weekend. Mike Hale is joining us today. Hi Mike!

0:00:25.9 Mike Hale (MH): Hi Lynne, how are you doing?

0:00:27.8 LJJ: You know, I’m doing great and it’s sort of becoming spring and summer, so you can’t say anything bad about West Michigan then, can you?

0:00:37.3 MH: I would rather live here than anywhere else.

0:00:41.0 LJJ: Absolutely. You know what, I’m so excited to introduce you to our listeners and our members. You have a very special gift, and that is a gift of giving back to a community that you have also served in a country you’ve served. I’d like to just to listen in a bit, as you tell us your story.

0:01:00.4 MH: I will say I’m a proud Vietnam veteran, and I enlisted to serve, and my life has basically been to serve the community and my family and friends as much as I can. And I’m richly blessed and able to do so.

0:01:19.4 LJJ: Well, and I know from reading a little bit about you, and also I follow you on Facebook, if anybody wants to follow a great gentleman that has served us so well, please do so because he has a great story to tell. Some of the things that I think people don’t realize, and let’s start with first off, education about Memorial Day and Memorial Day weekend. I saw a post on your Facebook page that really told it, that said, “Look, you guys, let’s think about what Memorial Day really means.”

0:01:52.3 MH: It’s the time that we should not necessarily celebrate, but honor those veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives and service to our country. And I have to admit that one of the sore points about Memorial Day when I encounter people is when they say, “Happy Memorial Day.” And I have to stop them and say, “Look, I’m a Vietnam veteran. I have a friend on the wall and that friend died, was killed because he and I switched assignments a month before, and it could have been me.” And it took me 40 years to get past that, but that’s another story. But it’s not happy for me because I miss Dean, Dean Owen. And it just… It’s not a happy time. It really isn’t. I mean, you enjoy it because it’s a holiday. But I really wish people would understand for those of us who are still here, that it’s not a happy time. Now, I will admit that decades ago, before it finally hit my head that as a veteran that it’s not a happy time that I went along with the crowd and said, “Happy Memorial Day,” but I don’t know what it was that it hit me that, “Wait a minute, no, this is a time to remember those who went before us in combat.”

0:03:34.3 LJJ: Mike, you really helped me think back to… Well, even this weekend the excitement of getting together with family, especially after the pandemic, but what you did was make me pause. And I’ve been grateful to have… My dad was in the Korean War, my brother served in the Navy, and many relatives who served, they did not lose their life, but my brother lost some friends. And you really do have to pause and think to yourself, A. how blessed am I, sitting talking to you, Mike, who gave so much for me to be able to not even think about saying, “Happy Memorial Day,” and that’s the thing that really gives you pause.

0:04:17.9 MH: Right. People get confused about the three holidays, if you want to call them, we’ll say moments for veterans and anybody who served. First of all, we have Armed Forces Day which is usually May 15th, that’s for those to be honored who are currently serving. Memorial Day is to honor and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice or who died as a result of being in the service. And then we have Veterans Day, that’s the time when people should stop and remember and honor those of us who served and came back, that’s the difference between those three holidays.

0:05:04.2 LJJ: Well, when you talk about, you are a Vietnam vet. Reading any history books, and when was your threshold moment when you realized, you didn’t come home to the waving flags, you didn’t come home to a country that… You came home to a country in strife really in cantonment.

0:05:25.2 MH: Yes, yes, I was fortunate that I came back from Vietnam and landed in the Air Force Base in California in the middle of the night. So, I didn’t encounter any protesters, any insults, anything like that. But from the moment I stepped back onto U.S. soil, I realized it probably would not be wise or smart for me to make it known that I am a Vietnam veteran, and that was in April of ’68 when I returned. It wasn’t until the Desert Storm troops were welcomed home with parades that a lot of us Vietnam veterans started to raise visibility about ourselves, our service and the fact that it wasn’t anything we wanted to do, but because our country asked us to do, we did it without question. And now the Vietnam veterans, at that point, were raised to a level where they were starting to be recognized for their honorable service, and that’s when I started raising my visibility with that.

0:06:44.7 LJJ: Now, fast forward, tell us a little bit about just today, you’re at a ceremony today and I actually have watched you at a dear friend’s father who passed away and you were there. Tell us about what you have been doing, because it is truly a gift that you give back to the community, Mike.

0:07:07.1 MH: Well, first of all, it’s an honor and privilege to do this. I’m a member of the Kent County Veterans Honor Guard. A group of veterans, male and female, who volunteer their time to render the final military honors for our departed veterans. Today was at Resurrection Cemetery, and we performed the usual service, which is basically we have remarks to the family and friends, we have a prayer by our chaplain, and then there are more remarks. That’s followed by a three-volley rifle salute and taps. Then there is the folding of the flag, which is usually on the casket, or if they’re cremating, then the flag is already folded into the triangle. We then present it to the next of kin, be it a spouse, a child, whoever in the family wants to be the representative of the recipient of the flag. And that takes us about 15 minutes, but it’s a special time.

0:08:17.7 MH: I don’t know how to really put it into words, but let me relate to you a couple of incidences. It was probably about… Well, let’s see, I’ve been with the Honor Guard since 2013, so let’s say about seven, eight years. There was one time also at Resurrection Cemetery, where it was the end of the ceremony, and we presented the flag to the wife. And as we’re presenting the flag to the wife, this lone tear came out of her eye and fell on the flag. Even talking about it, I get goosebumps. And then there was a time where I happened to be upfront as chaplain or officer of the day, I’m not sure which, whatever position, I was able to see the family when the flag was presented. They were all in tears. And it was extremely difficult for me to maintain my demeanor as we’re sharing the flag from the government to the family for their loved one’s service. You could not pay me enough money to do this. Not at all. And it’s an honor and a privilege to do it.

0:09:29.7 MH: I have done since I’m with Honor Guard over 1,200 services. And I’ve learned that because of the high personal emotion of what’s playing forth, we’ve had to learn to detach ourselves from the emotion. And for the most part, we can do that. But there are times when being human, it gets past this defensive wall. And then I go home and I don’t know how to describe it, but I’m honored and I’m thankful that I was able to bring this to the family. They appreciate it so much. Many times after a service or a ceremony, I’ll be running errands on my way home, and I’ll be in uniform, and invariably, somebody will come up to me and say, “Thank you, you did the service at my grandfather or my father, my brother, my son.” And that’s enough payback as anybody could want to do this. I mean, I really, truly feel that after all these 75 years that I’ve lived, that I have finally found my mission in life from God. And many people don’t get to that point, but I am so grateful that I am at that point.

0:11:01.0 LJJ: Mike, we are so grateful for you. And we are grateful for all of the veterans that have stood alongside you and also that have gone before. And for that, I’d like to just say thank you so much for being with us on this Memorial Day weekend and God bless.

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