http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS Thursday, September 12, 2024 5
See CENTENNIAL on 8Happy 95
th
BirthdayGloria J. Zanotti
September 14th, 2024Love, Your Children,
Grandchildren &
Great-GrandchildrenHappy Happy
BirthdayBirthday
Happy
Birthday
From, Johnny & family
Missing youFrom, Johnny & family
Missing youMiss GMiss GMiss GMiss G
To the American People:
This is not a typical letter to influence anyone on their way of thinking. It is just
a letter that as a combat veteran of the Vietnam War and with three brothers
who with a total of 49 years of service to this country, that I have the right to
voice my opinion. I am not a Democrat or Republican. I am an independent voter
who uses their own brain when I vote.
The other day I saw a sticker that said “Veteran for Trump”. As a proud Vietnam
veteran, I absolutely, in good conscience, cannot agree with that veteran.
I started thinking about the names on the Vietnam Wall. Some of these young
men served with me. I wear a bracelet with the letters: MIA = Missing In Action
and POW = Prisoner of War. These young men were not losers. They could not
dodge the draft as some were able to accomplish. John McCain spent five years
in a prison camp to be with his men. He is a hero, not a loser as was stated. Think
about the survivors of WWII and what they went through for our country. Would
you call them losers? I would not!
Here are some factoids about the Vietnam Wall:
There are 58,267 names on the wall.
39,996 were just 22 or younger.
8,283 were 19. 33,103 were 18.
12 were 17 years old.
5 soldiers were 16.
There are 3 sets of fathers and sons on the wall.
31 sets of parents lost 2 of their sons.
997 were killed their first day.
1,448 were killed on their last day.
8 women were on the wall, nurses.
244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the war and
153 of them are on the wall.
Definitely helps put life into perspective a bit.
The next time any veteran, the American Legion or VFW support a candidate,
remember this: the nation that does not respect and forgets its veterans, will
itself be forgotten by the children and grandchildren!
“Lest We Forget” David L. Keeton, Battle Creek, MIAIRPORT
Continued from Page 1
Airport’s first 100 years at Kellogg
Field.
And, funds raised during the past
year to cover the costs will also sup-
port aviation scholarships for area
students for many years to come.
It will be called the Centennial
Legacy Scholarship Fund and it
will be held at the Battle Creek
Community Foundation, said
Centennial Committee Chairman,
T.R. Shaw.
Centennial events to celebrate what
Shaw said is one of Battle Creek’s
largest employers, the Battle Creek
Executive Airport at Kellogg Field,
kicked off with the Art Center of
Battle Creek’s Student Art Exhibit
last Spring.
Additional events included an his-
torical exhibit at the Battle Creek
Regional History Museum that tells
the story of the airport’s first 100
years, ongoing through this month;
- A May 2024 Brass Band of Battle
Creek Salute to Aviation concert at
W.K. Kellogg Auditorium. - A June 8 presence at the National
Cereal Festival Parade and Longest
Breakfast Table. - A presence at the Battle Creek
Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon
Festival.- An aviation lecture featuring the
history of the A-10, and a history
symposium held in July at the Battle
Creek Regional History Museum.
Open house with formal recogni-
tion including speeches by local dig-
nitaries and plaque dedication Sept.
21
Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke
will be one of those helping to com-
memorate the occasion.
“I think the airport has really
grown as a community asset,” said
Behnke on Monday. “If you look at
the businesses that are out and the
employment that the provide, it’s
just remarkable and I would never
have predicted that, back when I was
growing up in the 70s when we only
had North Central flying in here.
They’ve really changed and I think
there’s real potential for a lot more to
be done.”
Behnke pointed to the popularity of
the annual Field of Flight Air Show
and Balloon Festival.
“That’s an event probably region-
ally better than anyone else,” he said.
“I know this year, they had some
issue because they just had so many
people but I would have never have
predicted that would grow as big as
it is today.”
Behnke hopes the public takes
advantage of the opportunity to visit
the airport and celebrate
the 100th anniversary.
“I encourage them,
invite them to come out
and meet some of the
people that work at the
airport,” he said. “There
will be some Western
Michigan University
planes out there and I
believe there’s going to be
some other ones, too.”
Also planned is the
release of a history book
about the airport, and, the
transfer of the donated
funds to the scholarship
fund.
“We’re doing the whole
Centennial for a few rea-
sons,” said Shaw, who
serves on the Airport
Board, the Brass Band
of Battle Creek Board
and the Regional History