VETERANS DAY

The Eunice area has its share of living veterans, from WW II POW Harold Gournay to those who fought in the War on Terrorism, and three locals shared their stories of service prior to Wednesday’s observance of Veterans Day.
Terry Matte, an Army veteran, said, “Veterans Day is a day for remembering those that are still alive and gave their service to their county. It’s a day to honor those who are still here. Memorial Day is to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
“If you see a veteran, thank them. You can’t thank those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
Matte joined the Army through the lottery draft in 1970 and completed his basic training at Ft. Polk before being shipped to Okinawa, Japan. While there, he served as a dog handler.
“In 1973 I was sent on a mission in Thailand, near the Cambodian border,” Matte said. “My dog and I were sent there to guard an ammunition bunker. The dog’s name was Duke, after John Wayne, and he was a very intelligent dog. We guarded that bunker for month, and then we went back to Okinawa. One month later, they sent me home.”
“It’s ironic. No one else I was friends with in school was drafted. My brother Dallas volunteered, and he served in Korea.”
Matte completed his service with the Army in 1973, and his rank at that time was an SPC 4. The veteran’s favorite memory from his time in the service was performing for four-star General William Westmoreland.
“I was part of a canine demonstration,” Matte said. “It was a big honor for me.”
Air Force veteran Roger Veillon, who served as a helicopter mechanic, remembers the mission on which he earned his Bronze Star, an award given to members of the armed forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
“We were on our way from Thailand to South Vietnam to pick up some troops,” Veillon said. “We took some ground fire and started leaking oil. We landed, left the helicopter and walked to a friendly base in South Vietnam. They wanted to blow up the helicopter (so it did not end up in enemy hands) but they asked if me if I could fix it and I said yes.”
“Me and the co pilot went back and fixed it, and the others on the flight were lookouts nearby. They said as soon as we got in the air, the enemies were on the ground headed toward us.”
Veillon also has two Distinguished Flying Crosses and many other air medals from his time in the service. He joined the Air Force in 1968 and completed his basic training at Amarillo Air Force Base in Amarillo, Texas, before his helicopter training at Shepard Air Fore Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. From 1969 to 1976, Veillon served at posts in Vietnam, Thailand and Korea. The serviceman flew on more than 400 missions and has more than 1,000 flight hours on CH-3 and CH-4 helicopters.
“Our missions were usually to transport Army soldiers and work special operations with the Army Special forces,” Veillon said. “We would drop soldiers off at the Ho Chi Minh Trail and go pick them up when they came under fire.”
The veteran, who achieved the rank of staff sergeant during his service, was not the first or the only member of his family to serve his country.
“My dad was in the Air Corps in WW II, and I have a brother who served in the Air Force and another who served in the Marine Corps.
“I always liked the Air Force,” he said. “I still go to reunions at Ft. Walton, Florida.”
Army veteran David Crader was also following family tradition when he joined the Army in 1998.
“My grandpa was in the Army during WW II, and my dad served in the Army in Vietnam,” Crader said “I’ve even got a pair of grandpa’s binoculars from the war.”
“I always knew it was something I would do. It’s a family thing, to join the Army.”
Crader completed training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, Ft. Gordon, Georgia, Ft. Hood, Texas and Ft. Irwin, California.
“We did some training in the Mojave Desert, Crader said. “I wanted to be a drill sergeant, and I took those classes and classes for first calvary horse detachment, medic, armor, weapons and rappelling. I even won first place during 300 foot repelling contest.”
After completing his training, Crader was stationed in Korea under three-star general Russell Honore.
“It was pretty cool,” Crader said. “I met him the first month I was there, and I got to hang out with him on weekends. He’s awesome, and it was a great experience to meet him. For the Fourth of July, he flew a band in from Louisiana to perform.”
While Crader said many parts of his service were enjoyable, one particular event from his time in the service will never be forgotten.
“I was stationed in Korea during 9/11,” he said. “It was pretty hectic there. I was issuing live ammo to every soldier there. All the overseas bases locked down, and no one was allowed in or out. We did a lot of night time surveillance.”
Crader reached the ranks of staff sergeant and corporal during his time in the Army. He left the service in 2006, and the tradition of service in his family will likely continue with a daughter who is planning to join the National Guard.
The veteran stressed the importance of remembering those who served and those who are serving.
“A lot of people don’t realize, people are not just overseas serving in Iran and Iraq,” Crader said. “There are so many people serving in so many different parts of the world — the Philippines, Honduras, Thailand, all over the world. It’s a voluntary thing, not like the draft. We volunteered to go and risk our lives.”
VFW Post 8971 will hold a Veteran’s Day Program at 11 a.m. Wednesday.