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It\u2019s been more than 60 years since the Korean War ended. On Sunday, area veterans involved with the conflict were finally acknowledged.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years after I got out, nothing was ever said to recognize what we did,\u201d said Korean War veteran Abe Saunders, who served 3 years, 4 months and 14 days in the U.S. Navy. \u201cIt\u2019s only been in the last couple of years that people have recognized the misery we went through.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about damn time,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took too long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stationed aboard the USS Brush 745 destroyer, or The Mighty Beno, as a gunner\u2019s mate, Saunders said the 360-foot vessel sustained two attacks. Sitting next to kegs of gunpowder and artillery shells, Saunders said he\u2019s lucky to be alive as more than a dozen crewmembers were injured in the second incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was scary,\u201d said the 80-year-old. \u201cHow we didn\u2019t die is beyond me.\u201d<\/p>\n
VFW Post No. 5231 honored Saunders and 45 other local Korean War veterans on Sunday at its annual Pearl Harbor Day memorial. Event organizer and former infantry Marine Rich Kriner said it was important to honor veterans. About 100 people attended Sunday\u2019s luncheon, which was sponsored by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need the recognition,\u201d said Kriner. \u201cIt means so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, the ceremony recognized World War II veterans, including Floyd \u201cChief\u201d Norris. He\u2019ll be honored again next year as officials plan to commemorate Vietnam-era veterans.<\/p>\n
Grateful that his service is remembered, Norris said the reaction troops faced after each war was dramatically different. He recalled a personal encounter with a Vietnam War protester after disembarking from a ship in San Francisco. He and several sailors simply wanted to take in the sites, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis gal came up handing out protest leaflets,\u201d Norris said. \u201cI said, \u2018Are they chocolate-covered, because you\u2019re going to start eating them right quick.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a different time,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter World War II, people looked up to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Approaching 92 years old, Norris gave 20 years to the military. His three sons also served.<\/p>\n
More than 3,500 U.S. troops were killed or injured, 21 ships sunk or damaged, and more than 340 aircraft damaged or destroyed during the raid on Pearl Harbor 73 years ago.<\/p>\n
About 2,400 veterans currently reside in Montezuma County.<\/p>\n