Aberdeen veteran hopes people remember missing soldiers

Source: American News, Aberdeen, S.存倉D.Sept. 20--Earl Schultz, a Vietnam veteran who has been involved in military affairs for most of his life, says he hopes people will take some time today to remember soldiers who remain unaccounted for."We have thousands who didn't return and are unaccounted for," Schultz said. "It should be foremost on everyone's mind. Families deserve to know what happened to their loved ones."Schultz, an Aberdeen resident who spent 30 years as the South Dakota director of veterans employment and training with the U.S. Department of Labor until his retirement in 2009, said he has a cousin who also served in the Vietnam war who was declared dead, but his body was never found, so he can't be certain of what happened to him."I'll always wonder what happened. I'm sure every family is the same way," he said.Today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which is observed on the third Friday in September. It was established by an act of Congress in 1998 and was established to honor people who were prisoners of war or are missing in action.Schultz, 67, became involved with the military when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1964 at age 18. He was deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Marine Brigade in 1965 and quickly rose to the rank of sergeant and, later, platoon commander after his platoon commander was killed in action.He served until 1968, when he was seriously injured by mortar shrapnel. Schultz, who became the first Vietnam veteran to recover in the VA hospital in Sioux Falls, earned the Purple Heart and was honorably discharged.Schultz graduated from the University of South Dakota after his military service and soon got a job working迷你倉in Huron as a veterans employment representative for the South Dakota Job Service prior to working for the U.S. Department of Labor.Schultz, who saw his share of combat in Vietnam, said his mother told him his attitude and outlook on life had changed, but not in a bad way. Schultz said his service made him more responsible and he thinks military service affects many people in positive ways.He rattled off a list of people in Aberdeen and South Dakota, including former Gov. Bill Janklow, who came back from military service and went on to lead ordinary lives. In most cases, it's difficult to tell who served in a war and who didn't, he said."I think I pretty much blend in like anybody else," Schultz said. "Unless I'm wearing my Marines ball cap, I don't think anyone would be able to guess if I served in the military."He was worried that the recent shooting at a naval base, in which a former member of the U.S. Navy killed 12 people, might make people think all veterans come home traumatized.Anyone who serves in the military is affected in some way, but he said about 90 percent of people come home and live ordinary lives. It's the 10 percent that wind up with personal problems, in trouble with the law or severe mental issues that get most of the attention, he said.He did point out that he was blessed with a loving wife, two sons and now has five grandchildren. So not every veteran has been as lucky as he."I have a loving family. Maybe not all veterans may have been as fortunate," he said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the American News (Aberdeen, S.D.) Visit the American News (Aberdeen, S.D.) at .aberdeennews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉