STORY AND PHOTOS
BY SUSAN THACKER
sthacker@gbtribune.com
Barton County native Matt Schneider presented a Veterans Day program Saturday at the Golden Belt Veterans Memorial, located in Golden Belt Memorial Park.
This program was organized by the Barton County Memorial Parks Advisory Committee and featured the Great Bend High School Band playing patriotic music, as well as GBHS junior Ashlynn Pio singing the national anthem.
The American Legion Riders presented the flags and Rick Munsch with Boy Scout Troop 157 presented the wreath. A prayer was recited by Ginger Herrman, a member of the memorial parks advisory committee. Marc Webster played “Reveille” and “Taps.”
Growing up in the 80s, I was surrounded by a wave of cultural and political events that profoundly changed my worldview. ... I enlisted in October of 1994. Once he finished Army training, his first duty station took him 5,600 miles from home to the 38th Parallel known as the demilitarized zone in South Korea.
“For the next year, I would sleep half a mile from the North Korean border with armed soldiers who would not hesitate to kill me if given a chance. (It) opened my eyes to the evil of the world and provided an education on harsh realities that were yet to come.”
He eventually rotated back to the States and started his remaining active service at Fort Riley. Realizing the Army lacked buglers to play “Taps” at military services and had to use record music instead, he said, “This was something I felt that I had to rectify, as a soldier’s final honor should not come from Panasonic. I went to my commanding officers and I advised that I played the trumpet in high school and volunteered to stand in for the boom box at the next funeral detail. ... Doing so was met with great appreciation, not only with the families that we honored, but you can see the pride in professionalism in doing the right thing on the faces, on the guys of my detail.
“For the remainder of my tenure, I had the privilege to provide military honors to over 300 funerals and countless hail and farewell ceremonies for the incoming and outgoing leadership of Fort Riley.”
After leaving active duty, he attended Kansas State University and graduated in the spring of 2001, eager to put his business degree to use with a job at a company in Great Bend.
“On a particularly clear, sunny Tuesday morning in September, I was getting my oil changed at a garage on 10th St., and as I waited, I watched a little TV in the lobby where a news story about a plane strike in the Trade Center caught my eye.” When the second plane hit the World Trade Center, he knew it was a deliberate attack and the United States would most likely soon be at war. That is when his life took a turn.
“Something my recruiter didn’t tell me, or he didn’t make very clear, was that my initial enlistment contract was eight years: four active, four inactive, meaning I was set to separate from the service obligation in October of 2001. September 11 happened one month prior to this. When the attacks occurred, the Army found itself in short supply of able bodies and needed a way to fill the ranks fast, and that meant dipping into the ranks on inactive personnel. ... We referred to it as a back-door draft; Uncle Sam just opened his arms and said, ‘Welcome back to the Army.’ I received a letter instructing me to report to the nearest Army Reserve unit, which brought me to the 443rd Transportation Unit in Great Bend, where my inactive status was reactivated. Sometime later, I was offered an option to let my contract expire and to be discharged but I realized that I had a unique opportunity to witness history unfold from the front lines, and I wasn’t going to back away from my obligation to serve my country.”
He told the audience, “When I arrived in Iraq, I quickly learned that service sometimes calls us to roles that we don’t expect. He described his own changing duties and the work of civilians who risked their lives because they believed in the work.
“Sadly, some of them who helped us in our mission paid with their lives when the Taliban discovered their involvement assisting U.S. forces. Their bravery and sacrifice remind me that the spirit of service crosses borders and languages. Just as we were there to protect each other, they put their own lives on the line in hopes of a better future.”
With that on mind this Veterans Day, he reminded the audience that service can take many forms.
“In closing, I’d like to express my deep gratitude to each veteran here today and to all those who have served this great nation, let us remember that honoring our veterans is not just for this one day, but something we can do every day by living out the values they so courageously fought for. As we leave this ceremony, let us carry forward the spirit of service in our town in our own lives. May we honor the veterans by being citizens who act with integrity, who support one another and who work to strengthen our communities.”
