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Show H9it6i 8. 2001 Commentary Attacks bring new meaning to Veterans Day by LL CoL Chuck Wynne Secretary of the An Force Public Affairs WASHINGTON (AFPN) As a result of the Sept. llattacks, our search for a new normalcy has brought many changes, including a rebirth of patriotism. Older Americans are saying they haven't seen this much that we are involved in a war against terrorism, we all should take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of this holiday." "Now patri- otism since Pearl Harbor. Old Glory is flying proudly from rooftops, overpasses and the back of pickup trucks. The National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America" are back in vogue and never sounded better. Perhaps the tragic events on the 1 1th day of the ninth month this year will bring renewed interest to the 11th day of the 1 1th month in 1918. On that day, the armistice ending World War I was signed at 11 a.m. in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles Palace, just outside Paris. A year to the day later. Armistice Day, or Veterans Day as we now call it, was first observed. On the first anniversary of the armistice signing. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation eulogizing fallen Allied soldiers. In the proclamation he referred to Nov. 11 as Armistice Day. For the next 19 years. Armistice Day was faithfully celebrated as an unofficial holiday across the country before Congress formalized it in 1938. On June 1, 1954, Congress officially changed the name to Veterans Day. In 1968, in a move to ensure three-da- y weekends for Federal enacted employees. Congress legislation to observe Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day on Mondays. In 1978, in accordance with the wishes of the majority of state legislatures, the military and the American public, Congress reversed itself declaring Veterans Day would always be celebrated on Nov. 11. Many today think World War I was fought only in Europe with France bearing the brunt of combat. That is not true. The war was truly global in scope as battles were fought in the Italian Alps, the Low Countries (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), equatorial Africa, the deserts of Arabia, in the Dardenelles, and on the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. It started in the Balkans at Sarajevo, when a Serbian nationalist assassinated an Austrian archduke and his wife. By the time the war ended, the landscape of Europe and geo-politic- al more than the United States lost in 10 years of fighting in Vietnam. Finally, long before they raised the flag on I o Jima, the Marines were writing history at Belleau Wood. Like all wars, this one had its heroes and villains. Sgt. Alvin Division almost captured an entire York of the U.S. of company Germany infantrymen. British soldier TE. Lawrence became Lawrence of Arabia as he waged guerilla war against the Turks in Arabia. The "Red Baron," Manfred Von Richtofen, a German aviator, shot down 80 planes. The United States had an "ace" in Eddie Rickenbacker. who later owned and operated the Indianapolis Speedway. An American pilot, Frank Luke, went on an observation-balloobusting spree one day that resulted in half the German air force chasing him. They shot him down but Luke survived the crash, climbed out of his plane and battled with German infantry using his pistol. He now has an Air Force base named after him. As for villains, a German corporal named Adolph Hitler fought in the trenches and a German aviator named Hermann Goring developed his theories about air power while fighting in this n It. Col. Chuck Wynne the Middle East had changed irrevocably. The German, and Russian empires no longer existed; Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union did; and the United States was a recognized world power. The "war to end all wars" introduced new phrases to our lexicon. The Western Front often was blanketed with the dense fog of mustard gas or the choking agent, phosgene, the first weapons of mass destruction. Gas attacks were so prevalent the British, French and German armies had gas masks for the horses that pulled supplies and artillery and served as mounts for their cavalry. and aircraft carrier made their debut in the The war. So did reconnaissance planes along with the use of observation balloons. Fighter aircraft became killing machines as engineers were able to synchronize the firing of machine guns through rotating propeller blades. Rudimentary bombers made their first appearance. A Winston Churchill idea, the tank, came into being. There have never been battles of such ferocity and scale as those fought in the "Great War." At Verdun, the Germans fired 120,000 artillery shells at the French fortress. The battle of the Somme cost the British 420,000 lives, the French almost 1.3 million dead in 204,000, and the Germans 670,000 a single battle. British losses in one day at the Somme were flame-throw- er full-sca- le war. The carnage also was the source of some of the most moving literature ever penned. Eric Remarque wrote "All Quiet on the Western Front," damning nationalism for all time. Siegfried wrote "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer," thus ending forever any idea that war was glorious. Ernest Hemingway's service with our Italian allies served as the basis for his tough guy image and supplied the plot for "A Farewell to Arms." John McCrae's "In Flanders Fields" remains to this day one of the most memorable war poems ever written and gave birth to the poppy flower as a symbol for the ultimate sacrifice for your country. Now that we are involved in a war against terrorism, we all should take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of this holiday. Whether we call it Armistice Day or Veterans Day doesn't really matter. What does matter is that we pause to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. At the same time, we should recommit ourselves to these fundamental American values and strive to do our very best in this latest challenge to the American way of life. We owe our country nothing less. Sas-soo- Hill Street Views 'Have the recent anthrax cases changed the way you handle mail?' 4yl i C3 si vr. ?' f ": ,' 9 '1 Airman First Class Alberto Negron 75th Security Forces Squadron Teri Priest Hill Post Office "We've got out gloves and our masks. I've thought about wear- "It's definitely affected me. I make sure I try to read the envelope and if it's unknown or doesn't have a return address, I don't take it." ing them, but haven't done it yet. They want us to ask people what's in their packages now where we never really did that before. They want us to ask them if it's got perishables or fragile or liquid items so that's added more questions to what we ask anyway." Senior Airman Lisa Wright OgdenALC Oenise Redmore Base Information Transfer Center Cathy Orgeron Air Force Spouse "It really hasn't changed that much. We just PCSed from England so it did slow down packages that I had shipped here. It took a lot longer for them to get here because I'm assuming they were doing a lot more checking of "Personally no. I just don't feel it's a threat and I'm really not that worried about it I watch for things more at work. We mail a lot of things, but don't receive a whole lot." Master Sgt. Esther Lewis 75th Medical Group "I make sure that every"I'm not concerned at all. I thing has a return address trust our mail system and I and I know where it came don't think that Hill is a major from. If it's going to happen, target." it's going to happen. I'm not going to put my life on hold because of fear." Actiiora Line Mail handlers very concerned about working next to the base mail in Bldg. 800. haven't seen them taking any particular precautions In the wake of recent bioterrorist acts. At times there are several vehicles unloading large quantities of mail and packages, with no one screening them. Is It possible to relocate the mail facility until a screening process Is instituted? The Base Information Transfer Center has guarded against mail bomb terrorism for many years. All personnel are trained to recognize the different characteristics of mail bombs, and what procedures to follow should a mail bomb be suspected. All mail is physically inspected for a correct office symbol to determine where mail will be delivered. As an added precaution, Security Forces Squadron explosives dogs inspect all mail at the Base Information Transfer Center and Postal Service Center every four machines screen mail as it is hours. Additionally, two QI'm 1 A X-ra- y received. Base Information Transfer Center personnel have received the latest training in case a package is suspected to contain Anthrax. They continue to monitor incoming mail to see if it matches the characteristics of possibly hazardous mail: excessive postage, no return address, misspelled words, restrictive endorsements such as "Personal" or "Private," powdery substance on the outside, unusual weight or lopsided, excessive tape or string, strange odors or stains or unexpected packages from a foreign country. Any suspicious packages will be isolated and emergency personnel notified. To date, there is no recommendation for mail handlers to wear protective equipment such as gloves or respirators. Any employee handling mail may wear gloves or a dust mask if they feel more comfortable doing so. BX, commissary entry at the BX, nr-jr-nr AJLr'UwU KtT Quality Systems for America 's Air Force Hilltop Times Published by MorMedia, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with Hill AFB. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. mil A Both facilities would have been justified in denying entrance to children since none of them had your 15-- , 13- -, and a DoD identification card. Family members age 10 and older must have DoD ID cards and should be prepared to present them when entering military facilities. Children age nine or younger aren't required to have an ID card and may be signed into AAFES, DeCA g or Services facilities by an ID parent Our Support Group commander works with managers regularly to implement correct FPCON measures in AAFES and DeCA facilities. 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