Honoring Our Veterans: Roland Heaton
 | Author:
Matt Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
Honoring our Veterans – Roland Heaton
Matthew Nelson
Today is Veterans’ Day, when our nation honors all the military veterans who signed up to protect our freedoms, often at the cost of their own lives.
Roland described his military service: “In 1964 I graduated from high school in Los Angeles so, right after my 18th birthday I enlisted in the Army as a mechanic. I had studied industrial arts and auto shop in high school. Back then they had both wheeled and track vehicles, and engineering equipment vehicles (heavy road construction). After school, they sent me to Germany, where I ended up being in the 10th Special Forces.
I got out of the service after serving 2 1/2 years in Germany, went into the reserves for 3 years, and then reenlisted. I was sent to Thailand as a mechanic. The military, in their great wisdom, filled my slot with somebody else, so I became a clerk typist. Then I went to Fort Knox, Kentucky and worked in an armor unit on M-61A battle wagons. Big tanks!
I volunteered for Vietnam. I went to an engineering unit as a mechanic. With my mechanical background, I also worked on cranes. We made bridges and repaired roads. I didn’t get shot at a lot, but once in a while, somebody took a notion that we needed to be target practice. I didn’t really have a lot of combat, but I had a chance to shoot my gun once in a while, but not that often. Most times it was a fight between two forces, with the Americans and Vietnamese on one side, and the Viet Cong on the other side, and we were trapped in the middle. When you are in a convoy you don’t want to be a target when they're shooting at each other and the mortar rounds are landing on either side of you, and they weren’t all that accurate.
It was fun in the central highlands living with the Montards, the native people. They were the lowest class citizens among the Vietnamese. American forces, especially their advisors, made friends with them. They were the most loyal people, somewhat backward, still using crossbows and stuff like that.
I got out of the army in 1971 as a Specialist 5. Afterward, I was diagnosed with arthritis, so I couldn’t be a mechanic anymore. Eventually, I moved to Helena, where I worked for the telephone company and for St. Peters Hospital. We moved to Townsend about 15 years ago.
When my wife Shirley died almost 10 years ago, I needed help from the community and the community reached out to me. Part of that was the American Legion helping a vet, so I joined the American Legion. On Veterans Day I will get my ten-year pin. Bill Garwood asked me to run as Vice-Commander. I served in that position until the last election. I declined because of my health.
I serve in Townsend Churches, work at the Bird’s Nest, the food pantry, and helped start Helping Hands - Dee Gannon and I are two of the original board members. That’s something I am very proud of. Knowing the good that I do in the community I believe I am giving back to the community as they helped me when my wife died.
First Responders weren’t getting attention here, so I contacted other people including the American Legion Auxiliary to start a fundraiser for them. In the first year, we came close to $5,000. I find unity between First Responders and the military, so I actively speak for both of them. On the Mayor’s day of prayer, I was asked to give a prayer for service men and women, both active and retired. I found out it was also for First Responders, so I modified my prayer just a little bit.”
Most of us in Townsend have seen Roland’s Cross and Flag Buggy. He proudly displays a cross mounted in front, and several flags, the most prominent being the American flag, plus MIA-POW and VFW flags, and others representing different branches of service. He talked about it:
“Initially, I decided rather than drive an automobile, I still needed transportation, especially after my treatment with cancer, so I got a tractor for $100. Being active in the American Legion, well, it needed a paint job. But I also had to carry groceries and other things, so I had to have a trailer. I keep changing it and adding flags.”
James 2:18 “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
Roland certainly has a strong faith and backs it up with his works.
All Photo Credits to Matt Nelson.
Article Images
Click on Image Thumbnail(s) to view fullsize image
