Veterans Day 2023 in Townsend
 | Author:
Matthew Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
Veterans Day 2023 in Townsend
Matthew A. Nelson
On Veterans Day, several people met at the Bridge building across the street from the Mountain Valley Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance to talk, pray, and connect with military combat veterans. U.S. Army veteran Roland Heaton organized and led the event. The other attendees were JB Howick, his wife Monica, Mike Buchannan, Lowen Nunn and his wife Louann Rogers, Laverne Haverland, Michael Stevenson, John Larsen, Mike Long Acre, and myself.
Roland started the event with a prayer and then discussed some of his time spent in Vietnam. Laverne spoke next about his surgeries and problems being a cancer survivor, and that the chemicals he handled while in the Air Force were probable cause. Lowen Nunn’s father was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, and afterward he helped retrieve and bury the dead and attend to the wounded. Lowen himself was a crew chief on a helicopter in Vietnam and spoke of happy times going into villages and giving candy to the kids who swarmed the helicopter, going fishing with them, and then a while later flying to the same village and seeing all the hootches were burned and everybody was massacred. Pretty sobering. John Larsen spoke of his near-death experience when he was 21 and he cursed the Lord and the Holy Spirit and found himself knocked out and going down into the black dark earth. After about 20 minutes he reentered his body, and then spent several weeks in a hospital with head injuries, and suffered the loss of hearing in his right ear, and damaged eyesight. He had served two years with the 82nd Airborne unit in North Carolina. We agreed afterward to start having more of these prayer sessions.
Following this meeting, most of us went to the American Legion Post 42 here in Townsend for a Veteran’s Day ceremony. Larry Westfall is the Post Commander. Approximately 100 people were in attendance. The ceremony had already started when we arrived. At the time, Senator Steve Daines was in a video giving high praise to the Montana veterans.
Montana State Representative Dr. Jane Gillette spoke after the video of Senator Daines was over. She is also a dentist but wears several hats. She served in the Air Force from 1999 until 2013 and was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls.
She wrote in her biography, found at https://drjanegillette.com/about,
“I attended Pacific Lutheran University for my undergraduate degree and the University of Washington for my doctorate. Though I’m a dentist, I primarily work in science and healthcare consulting. Since I’m passionate about learning, achievement, and leadership, I’ve also attended professional courses at Harvard School of Business, where I studied value-based healthcare within the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, as well as Kellogg School of Management and Wharton School of Business. In 2019, I finished my third degree, a Master’s in Public Health, at the University of Montana. Montana’s public education system is superb!
After finishing my doctorate, I started my career as a dentist in the Air Force at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls. During my time in the Air Force, I was awarded the US Air Force Achievement Medal twice and was also deployed -- but it was to Jamaica so I’m not sure that really counts. :) I’m passionate about service to our great country and still travel regularly to Fort Harrison to provide care to our Montana Army National Guard, ensuring that they’re ready for deployment.
“What mattered to my dad is that when he introduced me he would say, ‘This is my daughter Jane, Captain in the U.S. Air Force.’ He said the most important thing in his mind, the highest level of pride that he could have was for someone to serve their country, whether you are in the military or not. He would not say, ‘This is my daughter Jane, Doctor’, but he would say, ‘This is my daughter Jane, Captain in the U.S. Air Force.’
“Value service before yourself, use your own unique skills to serve our country and wear your pride for our country on your sleeve like a proud father. And I know that things feel a bit scattered, things are in chaos, it feels a little disconcerting sometimes in our nation right now, but I would say that I feel a lot of optimism for our great state and our country, and I still believe that we live in the greatest state in the greatest nation in the world. “
The next speaker was JB Howick. He started off giving an apology for being a little late because he had been invited by Roland to go over to the Bridge. The meeting with the vets there affected him emotionally.
He did not come from a military family and has no military background. “It is a joy when I have chances to sit down and listen to the men and women who have risked their lives for our country. It was difficult to bring that meeting to a close. It was curious to see how closely that meeting mirrored my own thoughts. I came to appreciate and be grateful for the veterans of our country.”
“It didn’t start that way. When I was 16 my English teacher made an offer to the class saying that he would give an “A” to anyone who joined the Marines early entry program. I grew up in a family that prized education. I was young, I was stupid. I thought that anyone who would take that deal over an education was an idiot. Two years later I met a friend who was with me in that class. He was sharp, he was in ROTC. He was respectable, he was respectful, he was precise and clean, and he was great.”
JB spoke of some other veterans he respected:
Dale, a sergeant in the Air Force was working with a crew unloading a nuclear bomb off of a plane in Guam, and the bomb dropped to the ground. That was a scary situation, but fortunately, it didn’t go off.
Ralph was a WWII vet who flew reconnaissance missions out of England but never fired a shot. He joined the military to protect his country and his family. He loved to talk about the people he served with, and he was heartbroken about all the men and women who died during the war.
Dan, another WWII vet, would tell you about the equipment he worked on, and some of the action he saw. Once JB asked him what it was like, and he responded, “You wouldn’t understand.” JB said, “Here is where that prayer meeting this morning touches home – he is right - I wouldn’t understand.”
“After all of these years, I think I finally get it. My gratitude is to our country’s veterans, those who served in peace and in war, whether they were in harm’s way or on the sidelines. Greater love, as the scriptures teach us, has no other no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. I understand that there should be parades, and I understand that need for celebrations, but celebrations are not enough. I even understand the need for honor. I have finally learned to return the love that so many of you, that so many of the people you know, have for me. If I could return that wealth, then I will have done my job. As I have grown older, I have found myself surrounded by an increasing number of veterans. You are appreciated acquaintances, you are dependable employees, and you are spiritual brothers. I am grateful for that friendship. I am indeed grateful for your service. Thank you for giving me the chance to speak with you today.”
Commander Westfall asked people in the audience to speak if they were a family member of a veteran. Unfortunately, there is not enough space to write about all who spoke, but here is what Ava Boaz, the teenage daughter of Mark Boaz said:
“My father served with the army for 20 years as an infantry major and a tank commander, and I don’t think I have really gotten the chance to thank him properly. I am so proud to say this today. How cool is it that he is the best and right of the finest sort of man? I wanted to say thank you.”
Commander Westfall: “Thank you very much. Don’t cry about it. (crowd laughter). You should be happy about it.” Then he announced, “The 3rd officer, Dave Corner (5 years), will give out the Legion service pins, for longevity time in the Legion.”
Charles Barrager – 5 years
David Boever – 15 years
Douglas Breker – 40 years
Kimberly Hay - 5 years
Richard Pettit - 15 years
Robert Hollister – 10 years
John Larsen -5 years
Dennis Logan – 20 years
Gary Peters - 30 years
Dennis Raymond - 15 years
Bob Saxby– 20 years
Lamonte Schnur – 30 years
Janet Wagner – 5 years
Thomas Williams – 50 years! “You don’t look 50 years old!”
Lots of shouts and hand clapping
These people also have longevity awards, even though they were not present and their names were not read out:
Charles Carver - 10 years
Gary Ferguson - 10 years
Kimberly Hay -5 years
Richard Heida - 15? Maybe 6 or 7
Robert Hollister – 10 years
Dennis Hovden – 20 years
Ron Johnson - 45 years
Ross Johnson - 5 years
Michael Lohman -5 years
Robert Lund - 5
Patricia Moritz - 5 years
Paul Schwisow - 15 years
James Swan - 10 years
William Bucy - 15 years
Michael Wattier – 5 years
Chase White – 5 years
Chaplin Holly Hendrickson led the benediction, which was followed by the singing of our National Anthem. After that, there was an open hamburger and hot dog lunch set up, with very good food. God Bless all of you veterans and your families and many thanks.
Article Images
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Image 1 Caption: Photo of the Veterans Prayer Meeting at the Bridge L-R: JB Howick, his wife Monica, Mike Buchannan, Roland Heaton, Louann Rogers, Lowen Nunn, Laverne Haverland, Michael Stevenson, John Larsen, and Mike Long Acre
Photo Credits: Mat Nelson
