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By Bill Vargo
Times Columnist | Sunday, November 23, 2008 | (No comments posted.)
What am I thankful for? Last year, I wrote a column about the things that I was thankful for and the people I have met along that journey. If last year was a blessing, I must say that this year has been even better.
First, unlike last year, I don't have to offer up any profound apologies. Not to worry, there is still one month left in the year, so there is time for that, too. I want to start by thanking Robert Bursua from the Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 17, in Hammond. Robert took my place at a very important event this last week.
The gathering was a celebration of Fred Scott, now of Merrillville, who was receiving a slew of medals for his service in World War II. The medals and honors were long overdue but the emotions were, dare I say, still raw. Among the medals and honors that Fred received, The Bronze Star. Congratulations and thanks, Fred, for your service and sharing your story.
Robert introduced me to some wonderful people this year, and the stories that I have told over the last few months are his doing. As Paul Doherty said with such eloquence on Veterans Day in Highland, these stories are important. They represent your fathers, mothers, uncles and grandfathers. So thank you, Robert, for introducing me to Don Talbot and so many others.
Don's story is a sobering example of thinking clearly in the heat of battle. Before I had the opportunity to meet these wonderful people at the DAV, I wrote plenty of other stories. Nick Sarengach's story of his time in Anzio during World War II comes to mind. Look it up some time, this was an important battle for the Italian peninsula. Allen Anderson served on the USS Petrof Bay, another important aspect of our forces during that time.
Then there were the others, Fred Bunger, Harry Hanson and Tony Varchetto. I surely hope that they receive their commendations; the honors are long past due. Tom O'Connor and the Mighty 113th should not be forgotten. He went on to serve on the streets of Chicago, no small contribution for a man who had already served his country.
In the classrooms and away from the battlefield, I had the chance to meet Estela Nunez from East Chicago, Mike Gordon from Munster, Michele Tyler and Sue Schweitzer from Lake Central and finally Carolyn Ballenger and Sue Ann Kudlo from Hammond. Combine this with teachers like Amy Wilhite from Griffith and the future of our classrooms is in good hands.
Thanks to Maxine Hess from Griffith for reuniting me with my eighth-grade history teacher Jim Etienne.
It is true; you still have to behave yourself around your teachers, even at 44 years old. There are so many people across the region who are doing wonderful work in areas from collecting our history to caring for those in need. The feedback and the story ideas have been wonderful, keep them coming. There are still so many stories that have yet to be told.
The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at billvargo@yahoo.com.
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