Mike Wolanin | The Republic Michael Schmelz plays Taps during the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.
Robin Hilber, the assistant director of community development in Columbus, will be the guest speaker during the upcoming Bartholomew County Community Veterans Day program.
Hilber said she plans to focus most of her remarks on her Oct. 21 trip to Washington D.C. as an escort for Jack Foist, her 90-year-old uncle. Although Foist is considered a Korean War veteran, he served no less than 27 years in active and reserve military units, Hilber said.
The program will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans. If the weather is cooperative, the weekend program is expected to attract a large number of children brought by their parents or grandparents.
Hilber and Foist made the one-day trip to the nation’s capital as part of the Indy Honor Flight program, which has taken Hoosier veterans to Washington D.C. to visit military memorials at no cost. Elderly veterans frequently say that being with former comrades-in-arms and sharing experiences often provides a cathartic moment that results in a sense of peace.
After boarding the plane, Hilber said one thing caught her a bit off guard. Only two World War II veterans were on board, as well as six Korean War veterans, she said. It was at that moment that Hilber realized that most former military personnel from the 1940s and 1950s were no longer with us.
“Everybody else on that plane were Vietnam veterans,’ Hilber said.
“Nobody wins a war,” Vietnam War veteran Bob Miller said. “Just look at the casualties.”
Miller also recalls how being drafted into the military can often leave the family at home financially devastated.
Nevertheless, Miller has long maintained a leadership role to honor veterans and their family members. He is perhaps best known for heading local efforts to preserve the memory of prisoners of war and those declared missing in action.
“Everyone knows I’m big on the POW/MIA cause, but for me, it’s about the families,” Miller said. “It’s about the sacrifices that get overlooked.”
Long-time program emcee and Vietnam War-era veteran John Foster had a different experience. As a trainer for aircraft pilots and as an Armed Services Radio personality, Foster was never sent into a combat zone, he said.
But the long-time radio show host says his attitudes are largely shaped by a visit he made to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“I saw the names of three guys I went to high school with on that wall,” Foster said. “I remember the feeling I received some 40 years later. I realized I’ve had all these opportunities to live and enjoy experiences. I’ve been able to have children and grandchildren. These guys never had that opportunity.”
Traditional features of the Veterans Day program include patriotic music, the Southern Indiana Pipes and Drums and the laying of wreaths at the memorial. Members of the Bartholomew County Veterans Honor Guard will provide a 21 rifle salute, followed by the playing of “Taps.”
If you go …
What: Columbus and Bartholomew County Community Veterans Day program
When: Saturday, Nov. 11.
When: 11 a.m.
Where: The Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans at the Bartholomew County Courthouse
