VETERANS DAY 1987/`A renewed sense of patriotism'/Nation pays tribute to military on Veterans Day
Houston Chronicle News Services
The United States saluted its military troops Wednesday in Veterans Day tributes across the land.
More than 1 million Americans have died in military service during 10 wars from the Revolution through Vietnam, the Veterans Administration said, and there are more than 22 million living war veterans.
A driving snowstorm put a chill on observances at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery just outside Washington, D.C.
"On this day, our nation pauses to honor all her veterans, past and present," Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger said. "We remember both those who helped us prevail in war and those who have defended our values in peace."
"We honor both living and dead and those whose fate is still not resolved - our missing in action, countrymen whom we swear never to forget."
At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, special tribute was paid to 24 men whose names have been added recently to the more than 58,000 war dead listed on the memorial's granite walls.
Two of the names added to the memorial were those of Texans - Navy Cmdr. Valentin George Matula of Hallettsville and Army Sgt. Jesus Lopez Ramos Jr. of San Patricio.
Ramos died of injuries just last year after spending 22 years as an invalid.
Matula was killed in a plane crash off the coast of Vietnam but outside the official combat zone and so had not been considered a war casualty.
Rosa Briones, a half-sister to Ramos, said: "It's very hard for me to come up here. Those who died can't talk about what happened. So, I guess this is doing the talking for them."
In other tributes around the nation:
San Antonio, ringed by five military bases, honored the nation's troops with a parade, an air show and memorial services, including the playing of taps and a flyover in the "missing man" formation.
Vice President George Bush rode in Pittsburgh's parade, which stopped for two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., marking the end of World War I - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
"Once a year, it doesn't do anything but good to have a renewed sense of patriotism and a renewed sense of honor," Bush said.
Rain, sleet and freezing temperatures made attendance sparse in New York as fewer than 1,000 followed Mayor Edward Koch 15 blocks down Fifth Avenue.
"The greatest blemish of all is that there are maybe 2,500 vets here in the city who are homeless and are sleeping either in our dorm shelters or, worse still, out on the streets," Koch said.
In Evansville, Ind., residents showed their appreciation with a hot lunch for needy veterans. About 75 stood in line before noon.
"I think inflation and the recession had a lot to do with it," said Glen E. Norman, a counselor for the Veterans Administration. "And the reception the Vietnam vets had when they got home had a lot to do with the number of needy veterans."
Former Nebraska Gov. Bob Kerrey told a crowd at a Lincoln, Neb., VA hospital it is important to veterans to find at least a few people who care about their service.
"It seems to me that the real hero of all wars and all life suffer in silence.
"All of us who have been at combat's door and have passed through it know that war is lonely. War makes you afraid. War confuses you. We know what it's like to feel as if no one cares," said Kerrey, who lost a leg in the Vietnam War.
Portland, Ore., dedicated a "living memorial" to Oregon Vietnam vets - a spiral pathway through a grassy bowl lined with trees and six polished granite alcoves where the names of the dead and missing are listed
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