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VALLEY — The adjutant of American Legion Post 67 talked about his experience in the Vietnam War, and the post commander thanked two local Kia suppliers for what they do for our few remaining veterans of the Korean War at Monday’s Veterans Day program in Veterans Park.

Sammy Newton said he’d never forget the shock he felt when he got his draft notice in 1968. He had just graduated from Valley High and knew such a notice might mean going to Vietnam and taking part in a war that had gotten really hot with the Tet Offensive. “I asked my father for advice,” he said, “and he told me to follow what my leaders told me, that they had the training and experience to help me through.”

Newton said he was not a big fellow at the time. He stood about five-foot-six and weighed 117 pounds soaking wet.

“I will admit I was plenty scared all through basic training, but it worked out for me,” he said. “A sergeant once asked me where I was from. I told him I was born and had grown up in Alabama. He told me I would do fine, that boys who had grown up in the South had always been around guns and had gone hunting plenty of times.”

Learning to fire a rifle from a rifle pit was an experience. “They were designed for guys who were at least five-foot-nine,” he said. “I had to stand up on a box to shoot the rifle, but I did all right. I was pretty anxious when I had to throw a live grenade at a target. I was really scared, but it worked out all right. I always remembered what my dad had told me about following what my leaders told me all through my career in the Army and National Guard. I’m glad I did. That advice served me well.”

Newton served in Vietnam from December 1969 through February 1971. He was stationed in Quang Tri province, a coastal region near South Vietnam’s border with North Vietnam. He was in the U.S. Army infantry at the time, and it meant some jungle warfare. “I always worried about being asked to be on point or being a tunnel rat,” he said. “When you are walking through the jungle, the point man is the first guy to get shot at or the first to walk into a booby trap. Tunnel rats had to crawl into tunnels the enemy had built and flush out their soldiers. It was very dangerous work. Luckily that never happened to me. My 14 months in Vietnam had some terrible times for me, but there were good times, too. Some of our missions were successful, and we received commendation medals.”

Newton received a number of combat service medals and a Bronze Star. “When they told me I was going to receive the Bronze Star, the fourth highest medal a soldier can receive, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “It was very rewarding and helped me deal with some of the rough times I had gone through.”

Two local men who had served in Quang Tri, Lewis Callaway of West Point and Frankie Simpkins of Fairfax, were killed in action. “It gets me every time I see their names on the Vietnam War memorial in Veterans Park,” Newton said.

Newton remained in the Army for 20 years and served an additional seven years in the National Guard. He often speaks about his experiences in the Army in history classes at local schools.

“I am proud to have served my country,” he said. “I had my share of some really bad times, but that’s all part of it. Being in military service lets you grow from a boy to a man. I am glad I had that experience.”

Post Commander Lanny Bledsoe served in the U.S. Marines in the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1961 he was with the First Marine Battalion in Hawaii and was on his way to Laos expecting combat with North Vietnam after their soldiers had invaded that Southeast Asia country. “Thankfully, they pulled out when they learned that the U.S. was prepared to intervene,” he said. “Our guys would fight them later on in South Vietnam. Guys like Sammy Newton were there at that time.”

Bledsoe said that World War II veterans had a big impact on his life. “Most of the officers I served under in the Marines were World War II veterans,” he said. “They were serious people and believed in doing everything the right way. Post 67 was organized by local World War II veterans after returning from the war. They were good people to be around. Almost all of them are gone now, and we are losing many of our Korean War veterans.”

Bledsoe thanked local Kia suppliers Ajin and Wooshin for having a program every year to honor East Alabama men who served in the Korean War, which took place from 1950 to 1953. More than 35,000 Americans died in that war with over 100,000 more being wounded. “I understand Company President Mr. Jung Ho Sea has said they will have this program every year as long as there are veterans living in east Alabama who took part in that war,” Bledsoe said. “I appreciate that.”

Bledsoe asked David Wilkerson and Kirby Hadaway, the human resource directors for Ajin and Wooshin, to come forward for some recognition. Bledsoe thanked them for presenting Post 67 their Eagle Award, given in appreciation for helping U.S. veterans.

Bledsoe also thanked Sam Cofield of the local Vet to Vet organization for what they do on behalf of local veterans. Joel Brumbeloe, who works with Cofield as a facilitator of the local program, talked about what Vet to Vet does. “We are a peer group,” he said. “We have monthly meetings at the Lanett Church of Christ, and talk to veterans who have experienced some kind of trauma during their military service. It’s a nonjudgmental organization, and we want the veterans who are taking part to know they can speak freely. We want them to know that anything they say in that room will stay in that room unless they want to talk about it themselves outside the room.”

Brumbeloe said that facilitators like he and Cofield have lots of private phone conversations with local veterans who reach out to them. The local chapter has approximately 50 members. There’s usually around 30 local veterans at their monthly meetings.

“We try to help them with their problems by talking them out,” Brumbeloe said.

Bledsoe thanked Yvonne Triplett of the local Veterans Office in the courthouse annex in Lanett for what she does for veterans. “We are fortunate to have her here,” he said.

He thanked Mayor Leonard Riley for the job the city does in keeping Veterans Park looking nice year-round. Riley spoke to a crowd of approximately 50 people who were gathered for the ceremony.

“It’s a privilege to speak to you today on Veterans Day in our beautiful Veterans Memorial Park,” he said. “We honor all those both young and old who answered the call to duty. They fought for us day and night. In the stormy and turbulent times, we are living in today – with terrorism seeming to come from every corner of the world as well as from within our own borders – our men and women in the armed services are asked to be vigilant and to be ready to stand as a loyal and stable barrier between us and those who wish to destroy our way of life and do us harm, and they continue to do so without question or thought to the cost to themselves.”

Riley said he was proud to be an American. “I know you are, too,” he said. “It’s only right that we take time to let our veterans know how we appreciate their sacrifices to keep our country free and safe. On behalf of the City of Valley, I offer a heartfelt thank you for your bravery, for your dedication and your service to our country. May God bless all the members of our armed forces, whether active duty or retired, and may God Bless America.”

The program concluded with Simone Floyd playing Taps on the trumpet.

“Thank you all for being here today,” Bledsoe said, “and thank you for backing our veterans.”