COL. Jeff Olichwier speaks during the 2024 Veterans Day observation at Ashley Pond. This year’s theme was ‘A Legacy of Loyalty and Service’. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com
BY COL. JEFF OLICHWIER
Deputy Chief of Staff Operations
New Mexico National Guard
Editor’s note: The following is the speech delivered by Col. Olichwier during the 2024 Veterans Day observation at Ashley Pond.
It is my great honor and privilege to assemble with all of you today in the 11th hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11h month. I am among great Americans gathered here. Today we honor our Veterans. Each Veteran has earned this Nation’s respect and admiration. We are here today to honor their service and their unwavering loyalty to our Nation. We remember their sacrifices, their bravery, and their resolve. We are grateful for their courage and their dedication to our great Nation. We share a common commitment to the Constitution, a love for our country, and a call to serve.
Veterans have defended our freedoms, protected our values, and shown us the true meaning of sacrifice. Their service and unrivaled loyalty to the United States of America is awe-inspiring. Each Veteran has protected our freedoms and has risked his or her life for people they had never met from our vast Nation. They chose to put service before self. What binds all of us together, across the years and across the conflicts, is a shared commitment to duty, honor, and country. Our veterans have passed the torch of liberty from one generation to the next, ensuring that the flame of freedom continues to burn brightly.
Today, as we enjoy the blessings of liberty, let’s take a moment to reflect on the true cost of freedom. Behind every folded flag is a reminder that freedom is never, ever free. Freedom is worth fighting for. Today, I’d like to briefly mention four incredible Veterans and their amazing contributions to our freedom.
One-hundred-and-six years ago, the fighting in World War I ended, or was supposed to have ended, November 11 at 1100 hours in 1918. Just one minute before the Armistice ended hostilities, United States Army Private Henry Gunther, of Alpha Company, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division, made the ultimate sacrifice in France as he charged a German roadblock. Alpha Company was operating in a small French Village where Henry rushed directly toward the sound of enemy gunfire trying to neutralize a machine-gun nest, resulting in his death. Private Gunther, born June 6, 1895 from Baltimore, Maryland chose to put service before self. He chose to stare down fear head-on for a greater purpose. His story is but one of many of our brave Veterans who served in World War I. Henry lost his life just one minute before hostilities were supposed to end.
But, as the fog of war can often blur lines; cause confusion; crush and bend plans, the fighting continued that day beyond the moment of Armistice resulting in nearly 11,000 casualties and over 2,700 men dying. As the Veterans with us today are far too familiar, the controlled chaos of war infuses uncertainty on situations such as happened that day in 1918. The situation on the ground is often much messier than captured in history books, by the media, in movies, andin folklore. But our Veterans were up to the challenges during their time of service, willing to answer the Nation’s calling and whatever chaotic moments that might bring. They responded admirably during moments of uncertainty, chaos, and confusion, putting service before self. They faced fear straight in the eyes and chose to persevere through the difficult moments that they faced. Today’s holiday was born from the brutality of World War I. November 11 was originally known as Armistice Day, marking the day the Armistice with Germany went into effect. It paid tribute to those who fought in “the war to end all wars.” But the ensuing decades made that slogan ring hollow, as millions of Americans served in the Armed Forces during World War II and the Korean War. In 1954, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, honoring American Veterans of all wars. In 1938, Congress made Armistice Day an annually recognized national event. In 1954, its name was changed to Veterans Day.
For over a century, we have observed Veterans Day on the anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting along the Western Front in World War I on November 11, 1918. While Memorial Day is a time to remember those who died in the service of their country, Veterans Day is a time to remember all those who have served – both past and present. Generations of patriots for the last two-hundred-and-forty-nine years have dedicated themselves to the defense of our country.
Let’s look at our next great Veteran and his story. Douglas Hegdahl is among our many Patriots who dedicated himself to the defense of our country. He is a great American who was born on September 3, 1946 in Clark, South Dakota, one of our many small towns in America. He joined the Navy in 1965 and attended boot camp in San Diego. After his initial training, Douglas was assigned to the USS Canberra. The ship was a missile cruiser positioned in the Gulf of Tonkin, just three miles off the coast of Vietnam. Two years later in 1967, he was knocked overboard by a blast from the ship’s guns. Having fallen overboard with no life preserver, Douglas was assumed to be dead by his shipmates. The crew held a memorial service. They didn’t know that Douglas had floated for 12 hours until Cambodian fishermen found him and brought him to shore. Once he arrived in Vietnam, Douglas was turned over to Vietnamese and was taken to a POW Prison, sarcastically referred to as the Hanoi Hilton.
The interrogators at the Hanoi Hilton didn’t believe Douglas’s story about being knocked overboard and insisted that he was a CIA agent. Rather than give up information to his captors, Douglas pretended to be illiterate and dumb when instructed to write anti-war statements against the U.S. The Vietnamese were surprised but thought they had found someone gullible enough to be tricked into publicly supporting their cause. They assigned someone to teach Douglas to read and write, but when he appeared incapable of learning, his captors gave up on him. Douglas became known as “the incredibly stupid one.” Deemed non-threatening, he was given free rein of almost the entire camp.
During his time at the POW camp, Douglas was given the task of sweeping prison grounds. He used this as an opportunity to do what he could to thwart the Vietnamese. He covertly filled five enemy trucks’ gas tanks with dirt and leaves, making them inoperable. Douglas would also take advantage of his freedom within the camp, passing notes and communicating with other prisoners. His most amazing accomplishment, however, was saving the lives of hundreds of
prisoners and providing a wealth of information about the prison to the United States. Douglas was able to memorize the names of prisoners, the dates they were captured, the dates they arrived at the prison as well as other personal information. He memorized over 250 prisoners’ names.
When the Vietnamese decided to release three prisoners from the camp, Douglas didn’t want to go. The captured American soldiers had made a “No Go Home Early” pact in which they agreed that they would all go home together or not at all. But Douglas was ordered by his commanding officer to return home in order to share the valuable information he had gained at the POW Camp and was released with two other POWs in August 1969.
Once he returned to the United States, Douglas provided names of military and intelligence personnel who were thought to be deceased. His global impact came when he confronted the Vietnamese at the Paris Peace Talks in 1970. The information Douglas provided, including the locations and horrible conditions of the prison camps, as well as the torture practices used by the Vietnamese, were finally shared with the world. Exposing the Vietnamese this way led them to keep POWs alive until the war was over, saving hundreds of prisoners. After returning to the United States, Hegdahl maximized his POW experiences as an instructor to train other service members at the U.S. Navy’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape school in San Diego. He completed his Naval service as a Petty Officer Second Class.
The next outstanding Veteran example to discuss today is Air Force Major George Davis who graduated high school in Morton, TX, just 16 miles from New Mexico-about 45 miles from Portales. Some of you may know the small town. MAJ Davis was a highly decorated fighter pilot and flying Ace from World War II. During the Korean War, he was flying a combat mission along the Manchurian border while leading a flight of four F-86 Saberjets. They were conducting a combat aerial patrol mission when he surprised and attacked twelve Chinese MiG-15 fighter jets. While speeding through the enemy formation he singled out a MIG-15 and destroyed it. Though he was now under continuous fire from the enemy fighters to his rear, Major Davis sustained his attack. He fired at another MIG-15 which burst into smoke and flames and went into a vertical dive. Rather than maintain his speed and evade the enemy fire being concentrated on him, he chose to slow his speed, seeking out still a third MIG-15. During this latest attack his aircraft sustained a direct hit and crashed, downing two before he was shot down and killed. Major Davis had 14 victories in the Korean War and 7 in World War II. He was only one of seven pilots to earn an ace in two wars. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. At the time of his death, he was the top scoring ace in the United States.
Another extraordinary example of service was Marine Corps Private George Phillips. Private Phillips sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow Marines by throwing himself on a grenade at Iwo Jima on March 14 th , 1945. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation reads, “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Second Battalion, Twenty-eight Marines, Fifth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, on 14 March 1945. Standing the fox-hole watch while other members of his squad rested after a night of bitter hand grenade fighting against infiltrating Japanese troops, Private Phillips was the only member of his unit alerted when an enemy hand grenade was tossed into their midst. Instantly shouting a warning, he unhesitatingly threw himself on the deadly missile, absorbing the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his own body and protecting his comrades from serious injury. Stouthearted andindomitable, Private Phillips willingly yielded his own life that his fellow Marines might carry on the relentless battle against a fanatic enemy and his superb valor and unfaltering spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the United States Naval Service. Hegallantly gave his life for his country.” End of Citation.
From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror in Afghanistan and everything in between, Veterans have given nothing less than extraordinary service to defend the United States. Service members like Private Henry Gunther at the end of World War I; Marine Corps Private George Phillips at Iwo Jima in 1945; Air Force Major George Andrew Davis in Korea; and Navy Petty Officer Second Class Douglas Hegdahl in Vietnam offer inspirational stories of service to all Veterans and citizens of our great Nation. The United States has been involved in 114 wars and conflicts. Each military war or conflict varied by circumstances. But in each case, service members’ service and loyalty to the United States remained steadfast to the finish line.
Like these service members, Veterans with us today left the comfort of their homes to face unknown dangers and to stare down fear for a greater purpose. They missed birthdays, holidays, and precious moments with loved ones. Some have paid with their health, bearing physical and emotional scars that may never fully heal. And some—far too many—have paid the ultimate price, laying down their lives so that we might live in freedom. Their memory lives on in the freedoms that we enjoy today. We honor their legacy today by supporting the veterans who are still with us. Our legacy of loyalty and service can continue by sharing our military service stories with today’s younger Americans.
Our freedom is an inheritance that our nation’s veterans earned. We must never take it for granted or forget how it was won. Together, let us give thanks for the veterans we are blessed to have in our lives, for those who personally inspired our service, and for those whose names we will never know, who nevertheless defended our nation and its liberty. What binds all of us together, across the years and across the conflicts, is a shared commitment to duty, honor, and country. Our veterans have passed the torch of liberty from one generation to the next, ensuring the flame of freedom continues to burn brightly. I will finish speaking today in the same manner that I started because I would like the following words to resonate for continued reflection. It has been my great honor and privilege to assemble here with you all today in the 11th hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th month. Today we honor our Veterans. We remember their sacrifices, their bravery, and their resolve. We share a common commitment to the Constitution, a love for our country, and a call to serve. Our Veterans have defended our freedoms, protected our values, and shown us the true meaning of sacrifice. They have earned our undying gratitude, and we will never forget their sacrifices. Our veterans’ service, sacrifice, and unrivaled loyalty to the United States of America was, is, and always will be awe-inspiring. Each veteran protected our freedoms and risked their life for people that they had never met from our vast Nation. They chose to put service before self.
Our veterans contributions are nothing short of extraordinary. I am truly in the presence of great Americans on this Veterans Day of 2024. I will conclude by personally thanking each and every veteran at this ceremony