July 4, 2015 may go down as the greatest 4th of July of my life.
It wasn’t the fabulous firework display; in fact, I was in bed by the time the skies were lit up with spectacular displays of light. It wasn’t the bar-b-ques or watermelon feed.
No, this year the highlight for me and a handful of others was on a bus.
On the schedule of events of the annual festivities in the official 4th of July city of Seward NE, was a small gathering referred to as: World War II Veterans Reception. Barb and her sister thought this would be a nice thing for their father; Charles Radford to attend. The event was to recognize those veterans who had served during WWII and hear a bit about their service and experiences. It is always amazing to see these elderly men talk about their military experience. Frankly it can be hard to image these guys now in their 80’s and 90’s aboard the ships and aircraft heading overseas to do battle against the enemies of freedom. Most alive today were mere teenagers at the time. Willing to leave their lives behind and answer the call of a frightened nation.
While this brief gathering was well worth the effort to attend, the best was yet to come. The sponsors of the event had arranged for a bus to carry these veterans and their families in the Grand Parade. I was fortunate enough to be invited to ride along. So shortly after 4pm the bus began to make its way along the crowded streets of Seward. Each side was packed with thousands of men women and children. People of all ages, race and creed had gathered for one of the largest parades around. This parade is always a huge draw, but today the crowd was larger than ever. Perhaps it was the near perfect weather, a pleasant and sunny 80 degrees.
As the two WWII vintage jeeps led the bus slowly down the street the most amazing thing began to happen. As the crowd saw the sign on the side of the bus that read; WORLD WAR II VETERANS nearly everyone rose to their feet and began to clap their hands. Their applauds turned to whistles and shouts. Some covered their hearts, others saluted, someone yelled “Thank You”. Men removed their hats in honor of those six WWII veterans that had served their country so many years ago. Block after block, hundreds upon hundreds of people stood to honor them and say thank you.
I was moved to tears. The love and support shown to these men was amazing. So many years have passed, so many veterans have left this world, yet on this day in this moment the community rose to their feet in respect to all those who answered the call. I couldn’t help to think about my own father, Bernard Budler. He seldom spoke about the war, most don’t. Oh how I wish he could have been on that bus this 4th of July. I hope that he and all the veterans of all our wars know that they are appreciated very much.
Clearly, your fellow Americans, your community, your friends and families have not forgotten what made you the “Greatest Generation”.
