OLLI Member Martha Bills

In the Deep South, where I grew up, military service was, generation after generation, looked upon as an honorable profession, one to be entered into with as much familial pride as becoming a doctor or a lawyer engendered.  That sense of honor was tarnished by the Vietnam War which in some areas literally tore the heart out of our communities.  Veterans from that war didn't come home to parades and offers of their old jobs back, they came home to what grew into resentment and lack of care and concern for those veterans who had done their duty.  It was during that period when I determined that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the career for me, an agent, working alongside men who fought crime every day.

 

But, that door wasn't open to women in the late 1960's, so I opted for the next best thing:  after college, I joined the United States Navy. It was partly as a way to find my own path in the world, but mostly to prove that I could do the same job as any man. With that resolve came experiences that completely shaped the person I am today, these many years later.  While still on active duty, I had the opportunity to touch the lives of young enlisted men and women working for me in duty stations all over America.  As one of the few women in a commanding officer position, I was often invited to speak at the local Veterans Day event.  Or, I was often asked to come down to the local VFW chapter and talk about how women could actually serve on Navy ships or fill a combat role. During those years when no one was thanking the Vietnam veterans, I had countless numbers of parents, especially mothers, say to me that they appreciated what I had done to help their daughter with career advice or by simply serving as a role model.  It was always gratifying to know that people had begun to sincerely respect the military, not just for the opportunities available to young people who couldn't afford to go to college, but for the service those young people were doing for their country.  I always felt that the pride those parents had in their sons and daughters was part of what made our country special, a country that had come to recognize that a "veteran" was someone to respect, someone who made a difference each and every day. 

 

Even though what we celebrate as "Veterans Day" began as "Armistice Day" to honor the men and women who served during World War I, in our hearts and minds, it truly is a day to show our support for veterans of all wars.  And when the TSA agent at the airport thanks me for my service when I show my military ID card, I can't help but feel a sense of pride.

 

Submitted by: Martha Bills, volunteer leader, OLLI at Northwestern University