Veteran offers history lesson from a man who lived it
JEFFERSON – Glenn Tedrow’s mother thought he died in the Vietnam War. After all, she had a letter from the government that said her son was among the casualties.
“Sometimes, Uncle Sam makes mistakes. It was my cousin that got killed, but they sent a letter to my mother that I was killed. I escorted my cousin home,” Tedrow told a group of Jefferson-Morgan Elementary School students.
Talk about a surprise homecoming.
“My mother was cooking bacon and eggs on the stove for my dad. I leaned in and tried to give her a kiss on the cheek and said, ‘Hi mom.’ There went the bacon and eggs, and she fainted on me,” he said.
The commander of American Legion Post 954 in Jefferson and a retired command sergeant major from the Army, Tedrow recalled that day and other experiences for fifth- and sixth-grade students of English teacher Diana Moskola.
Two of his brothers and three cousins were killed in the service. He reminded the children that Veterans Day honors such sacrifices.
Accompanying Tedrow were Ken Cipcic, who served in the Navy during World War II, and Bonnie Herbert, a more recent veteran of service to the Army.
The youngsters, in preparation of the Friday afternoon visit to their school, wrote letters in Moskola’s classes to veterans, thanking them for their service.
“I did this to show them how effective their letter-writing can be,” Moskola said. “The kids did such an excellent job.”
A student presented the letters in a packet to Tedrow, who said they would go to veterans in local nursing homes.
Cipcic and Herbert told the students there are different types of veterans.
Cipcic spent two years in the Navy near the end of World War II. He said he wanted to go to sea but did not see action from the war and was sent instead to school.
Herbert passed out photos from basic training at Fort Dix, N.J. She explained she also did not go to war and spent three years in the service, enlisting in 1984.
She talked about her training and how the exercises went on, even in a hurricane.
Tedrow’s experience in the Vietnam War was as a helicopter pilot, logging 760 combat missions and 8,500 flight hours.
He joined the Army in 1961 on graduation from high school, went to flight school in 1965 and headed to Vietnam. He flew a variety of helicopters and airplanes and was shot three times. He remained in the service and retired in 1984.
One child asked if he would return to service if he had the chance.
He said he volunteered in 1992 to go to Afghanistan but was turned down because of his age.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to defend my country. I would do it in a heartbeat,” he said.
The children met the veterans in three different groups and asked a variety of questions. Some of them were tough, like the girl who asked Tedrow if he was scared in the war.
“Yes ma’am. I sure was. I’d be lying to you or fibbing if I didn’t say I was,” he said.
Tedrow spoke about patriotism, as well as the lack of it when soldiers returning home from Vietnam were not welcomed, especially after many Americans were killed in the line of duty.
“A lot of veterans came home, witnessing people burning flags. If you were wearing a uniform, they would spit on you and throw stones at you,” he said.
“Today, I’m glad to see that people are getting back to recognizing our veterans and showing appreciation … for what they did in defending the freedom of this country.”
He reminded the students of the surge of patriotism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. He said Americans had accepted their freedom and did not think it could be taken away.
Now, he said, Americans have shown they are proud of their country.
“That’s what the veterans were fighting for, your freedom, so that you have what you have today,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Veterans Day parade will be held Monday in Jefferson, starting at 10:50 a.m. at the fire hall.
The American Legion will conduct a salute at 11 a.m. and continue on to the high school with the Jefferson-Morgan band. A program at the high school will follow the parade.
The guest speaker for the ceremony is William M. Baily, an attorney in Greene County and military veteran.