Honored and Blessed: My Summer Spent with Arkansas Veterans
August 09, 2018 - Victoria Anderson
This post was previously published on Folklife Today, a Library of Congress blog featuring articles from the American Folklife Center
and the Veterans History Project.
The following is a guest post by Victoria Anderson, a summer intern in Sen. John
Boozman’s (AR) Little Rock office,
History may seem like a row of dusty old books sitting on a shelf, something people
pass over because it looks boring, but I want to remind everyone that it is not. History
is living and breathing. It is the lives our parents and grandparents have lived and
continue to live. The stories they have to share are priceless, and I am so thankful
the Library of Congress Veterans History Project (VHP) realizes this.
When I interviewed for this internship, I had to decide between interning in Little
Rock or Washington, DC. Although the Washington experience was tempting, it was the
Veterans History Project that caught my attention. Sen. Boozman’s Little Rock office
would be working on the project during the summer, and I would be able to be a part
of it. As an English and mass communications major, I love stories, so the thought
of sitting before a veteran and hearing his or her story unfold right in front of
me was beyond exciting. I knew then that this experience was going to impact me. I
just didn’t know how much.
Anita Deason, the senator’s military and veteran liaison, told me before I came that I would be diving in headfirst. And she was right. The first interview I helped with was on my first day.
The man we interviewed, Adam Prince, was the youngest veteran the office had interviewed
because he had fought in Iraq. He is actually the cousin of my fellow intern, Dillon
Vick. Mr. Prince was a little nervous at the beginning and didn’t think he had much
to say. His interview lasted nearly two hours. He told story after story in great
detail, giving me a glimpse into a different part of the world. It was amazing to
see him open up when he realized that we were genuinely interested in what he had
to say.
There were some veterans I didn’t interview, but just meeting them and talking with
them for a few minutes was an honor and a blessing. For instance, one afternoon we
drove to the Jacksonville Museum of Military History where the senator talked with
a group of Vietnam War veterans. I assisted and talked with one of the veterans, Colonel Kenneth Lucas, who had fought in WWII, Vietnam and Korea. He was in his 90s and was a delight to
talk to. He reminded me of my grandpa because he wanted to know all about me, how
I liked school and what job I wanted.
Another man I had the pleasure of meeting was Arlis Owens. He was the first veteran Anita interviewed for VHP and is one of the sweetest people
I’ve ever encountered. He encouraged me to read the newspaper clipping he had framed
that shared some of the information from his interview. He was in the Battle of the
Bulge, Normandy, and many other intense WWII battles. He was in combat for 247 consecutive
days. Today, he suffers from cold damage due to day after day spent in the snow during
the war. Mr. Owens is an amazing man who endured so much for his country. One of his
more disturbing stories happened in Normandy. He had to drive through water filled
with dead bodies that would drift into the cab with him. He would push one out, and
another would float in. This is just a fraction of the horrors of war that brave young
men like Mr. Owens saw that no one should ever have to see.
I also had the honor of interviewing two men at the College Square Retirement Center
in Conway, Ark. My first interview with Edwin Ross was a little bumpy because I was
nervous, but Mr. Ross was gracious and kind. I learned about his experiences in the
Army and Air Force during the Vietnam War.
My second interview was with a 98-year-old WWII veteran, Gordon Bentley. He flew an
aircraft called the FM-2 “Wildcat,” which he had to land on a carrier in the middle
of the ocean. Needless to say, that took skill, talent and bravery. He brought a binder
with him to the interview that day that was overflowing with original photographs.
I handed him some of them during the interview, eager to hear his colorful, firsthand
account of each black and white print.
Although it was a joy to hear all the interviews, it was also emotionally heavy. I
know I just barely scratched the surface of the sacrifices these men and women made,
but I hope by listening, I shouldered a little of the burden.
What impacted me the most about each of these veterans was their character. When I
see them, I see incredible strength. I see loveand courage. I see an inspiring history
that will last forever.
By Victoria Anderson, a 2018 Ouachita grad from Blytheville, Ark.
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