Saying Thank You With “Late Love”

Channeling Forever Young organization offering senior Vietnam veterans the honor & support they deserve, Frazier and Burns host & serve BBQ lunch to 10 military service survivors at beautiful Bosque County ranch

Many brave men and women served their country faithfully in the military, and many still carry the weight of war with them. Sadly, the nation’s Vietnam War veterans still remember enduring the public scorn they experienced returning home from the brutal war often reduced to being called simply a “conflict.”

Determined to do all they can to right that wrong, an active core in Bosque County wants to make sure these Vietnam Veterans get the thanks they deserve as often as they can. The Daughters of the American Revolution, Bosque River Valley Chapter always commemorates Vietnam Veterans Day on March 29 at the Bosque County courthouse. Former Kindergarten teacher at Kopperl Independent School District and Vietnam Veteran wife Ann West organized Valentine’s for Vets. Both DAR and West were partners in the 50th Vietnam Commemoration Anniversary, promoting honoring the veterans’ service, valor and sacrifice.

But that’s not all. Debbi Stubbs wraps veterans in red, white and blue Quilts of Valor any chance she gets. The late Mike Burns, a Vietnam Veteran himself, made it his mission to document stories of Bosque County Vietnam Veterans in his books Profiles of Courage I, Profiles of Courage II and Battalion of Angels. Thanks to his efforts, a group of about 30 Vietnam Veterans in varying size gathers at Johnnie’s Restaurant in Clifton every month, seeking comradery with those who experienced the same war.

Burns’ wife Valerie was always by his side and continues honoring Bosque County’s Vietnam veterans after Mike passed away in 2020. Recently, Valerie brought along her friend Susan Frazier, who instantly felt compelled to help out any way she can.

True to her word, Frazier – assisted by Burns – organized the New Year’s First Lunch on Jan. 10 at the Frazier ranch in the beautiful Bosque County countryside. Most of the 10 vets present, some with their wives, proudly wore their Vietnam Veterans caps as they enjoyed the catered barbecue lunch. They could have played pool or shuffle board in the game room with table decorated in patriotic red, white and blue, but the preferred just to sit and chat.

“I just want to show my appreciation,” Frazier said. “I just love these guys and what they’ve done for us.”

At the 2023 Veterans Day Ceremony at the Iredell ISD, Valerie shared with the audience that it was Mike’s goal to help his brothers-in-arms by getting them to talk about their experiences with him, because many did not talk to their families. Not only did talking about their experiences help heal themselves, the books also provided their families a greater understanding of what “their” veteran might be going through, physically, mentally and emotionally.

At that same Veterans Day ceremony in Iredell, Frazier shared a poem “Late Love” she wrote about her journey to understanding a veteran’s role in the country’s peace and the fight for democracy better.

“No thought about war and a land far away. The road that you traveled never entered my mind. And I wasn’t thinking. Not about you,” the poem reads. And it ends with “So now with a broken heart, I’m thinking of you. And I finally see, it’s all about you and not about me.”

On that day, Frazier shared some information on the Forever Young organization that honors senior war veterans and what they did for the country 50, 60, even 75 years ago in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. The organization sponsors trips to military memorials, monuments and grants special wishes.

People do not expect these senior veterans to still suffer from the wounds, scars and stress the battlefields inflicted on them. But now, they are often retired, their minds go back to their time of service, and it can be a struggle affecting their everyday life. These trips and experiences help free them from the stress of combat and bring them the honor, healing, and hope they need and deserve. The trips and granted wishes show them their service mattered, help give them peace and closure as they grow older.

Diane Hight's father Leland Oliger was a war hero – but due to his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from World War II, he was also an alcoholic. To honor her father 24 years after his death of her father, she and her husband Greg set up Forever Young Veterans in 2006. Their Tennessee-based organization focuses on helping veterans over 65, who largely did not receive mental health support after their service ended.

They started with granting some relatively simple wishes, like sitting in a B-17 cockpit again, throwing out the first pitch of a MLB game, to finding a wartime love, and even skydiving. Then in 2009, they took WWII vets to the memorial in Washington D.C., which led to an effort to take them back to Normandy and beyond.

“Wherever there's great sacrifice, there's great love,” Diane Hight told People magazine in Oct. 2023 on a trip to Washington D.C. “I want to show veterans that.”

Several of the Bosque County Vietnam Veterans were on that very trip, including Doug Chaney and Barney Bodiford. They visited the Vietnam Veterans Monument, which honors the men and women who served in the Vietnam War by chronologically listing the names of 58,318 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.

Chaney served with the 25th Army Infantry Tropic Lightening Division, the Bobcats. He received three Purple Hearts for injuries received in battle within the first nine months of his first tour in 1968. He returned for a second tour to keep his brother from being drafted.

A photo form the trip shows Chaney holding his hand up to the names of his fallen comrades, while Bodiford’s hand is on his shoulder for comfort. The first time Bodiford visited the monument, he was gripped with grief and emotion and could hardly face the black granite wall with all the names. On this second trip, he was able to help out his comrade with his feelings.

As emotional as it was touching the names, according to his wife Norma, Chaney was able to lay some ghosts to rest, and “he had a twinkle in his eye when he left.” Finding the names of people he knew on the memorial wall in Washington, D.C. and sharing the experience with other vets gave him a sense of peace.

Serving as a “tunnel rat,” Bodiford was stationed in Vietnam with the U.S. Army 596th Signal Company as support for the 1st Infantry Division from 1967-68.

In spite of his fear of flying, Lon Slatten participated in the Oct. 2022 Trip of Honor to Washington D.C. He had visited the monument in 1990 with his now ex-wife and visited the traveling monument any time it was in the area. At 19, Slatten served as a U.S. Marine in the 1st Battalion 11th Marines from 1967-69, providing artillery fire. He received a Purple Heart, getting shot the very first day in the battlefield.

“It means a lot to me to see the names significant to me,” Slatten said. “The second time I went, it was more memorable to me because I was with friends who had the same experiences. It was almost therapeutic. I left some mementos at the base near their names.”

Ron Linder served two tours in the Navy, first from 1968-69 patrolling Vietnamese rivers, and then in 1971-72 as part of the mining of Haiphong Harbor. “I went to war at 19,” Linder said. “But I came home as a 40-year-old because of the experiences.” On a Trip of Honor in March 2023, Linder reunited with his younger brother he hadn’t seen for 50 years.

While each of the Bosque County Vietnam Veterans were in different divisions and experienced different mental and physical traumas, they all share the common experience of dealing with the tropical humidity, the intense stresses of living in horrific conditions – literally fighting for your life, losing comrades, and the subsequent survivors’ guilt.

One thing always on the agenda for the trips is a round table with an army psychologist to help the trip participants work through any feelings that may come up. “Those evenings with open discussions with the guys are most significant,” Bodiford said. “They give another level of closeness. I’ve shared experiences there with ‘Nam brothers that I’ve never even shared with psychiatrists.”

By escorting more than 2,700 veterans on 56 military “Trips of Honor” to nine countries to places like Washington DC, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa Japan, Omaha Beach Normandy, Italy, England, and Belgium since 2009 making over 300 wishes granted, Hight has honored the veterans in a unique way. Her Facebook page is filled with photos of her with the veterans they helped heal, like the photo at the Punchbowl Cemetery in Hawaii in Dec. 2021 showing Navy veteran Charles O’Bryan pointing to the names of his two brothers who went down on the USS Arizona while Hight holds his arm.

“When we honor our veterans,” Hight said, “the walls come crumbling down, and there is place for healing.”

This year, Forever Young will take their 10th trip to Normandy, escorting several D-Day and WWII veterans aged 96-102 years old. While visiting a war memorial is a very special experience, returning to battle fields with fellow gives an opportunity to talk about experiences and gives a whole other level of closure. The local population is thrilled to honor the soldiers that helped liberate their country, and the veterans see how their lives and service mattered. The trips are filled with stories of sacrifice, healing and hope.

A major national news network will be traveling with the Forever Young veterans on the D-Day 80^th Anniversary Normandy trip for the 80th Anniversary. If you know a WWII vet who is interested in going, please contact Forever Young at 901-299-7516.