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November, a month of thanksgiving to our Mili- tary Veterans. All gave some and some gave all. A veteran is someone who has served in a particular field for a time. And a ‘military veteran’ is someone who has served in the active armed forces. The Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force function under orders engineered to preserve the lifestyle we are guaranteed and sworn to by the United States Constitution. William R. Jackson served a year in South Korea in 1965. “I signed up for the U.S. Army in 1964 when I was seventeen. Unfortunately, I had started a family early in my life. Fortunately, joining the military gave me a means to sup- port and have medical care for that family when I had very little work experience as of yet. “I was assigned to South Korea when they were still a third world country recover- ing from conflict in an attempted coup by the North Koreans. The U.S. Military helped them get on firm footing in order to be able to defend themselves. “When my enlistment was up in 1967, I was a trained and experienced contributor to the American workforce.” Speaking with MS L. Sylve, a civilian who worked for the government alongside military men and women for thirty years, she commented about what she learned from them. “What they gain and what they sacrifice evolves into an intricate part of the American each of them becomes. “There would be times when the weight of war time experiences compelled one of them to pull up a chair to my desk and share cru- cial details and other times to just sit in si- lence enjoying the comfort of friendship.” Another American veteran who served in Viet Nam, Jim Burge, now in his seventies, served following his family’s lineage. His great uncle served in WWI, or The Great War 4 SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE | Fall 2023 By Lynne Adams Barze’ Author, writer, poet Giving Thanks To Our Veterans