Thank a Veteran In Person Today

Thank a veteran in person this Veterans Day.

That’s the advice of Shane Koehr a junior at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, involved in the school’s ROTC program.

“I talked to one guy recently from Veterans of Foreign Wars who fought in Vietnam. He was flying missions over Vietnam, and he lost most of his buddies in the war,” he said. “From talking with these veterans, I’ve learned that Veterans Day is about a lot more than just about the people who served – it’s about recognizing each individual and how they were affected.”

Koehr is from Warrenton, Va., and majors in mechanical engineering.

He hopes to combine both via his major and his ROTC training to serve his country. “After I graduate, I want to get in an aviation unit in the Army Reserves so I can fly helicopters and serve our country as well,” he said.

Military service runs in Koehr’s family.

“Three of my brothers are in the Navy: one of them is the WSO on F/A-18 Super hornets, one of them is a Navy Chaplain and the other one flies P-8s,” he said. “Two of my brothers served in the Army: one in the Army Corps of Engineers, and the other one served in the Medical Corps. My brother-in-law is also in the Marines, so there’s a lot of history in the military with my family,” he said.

Shane hopes to see veterans honored not just on Veteran’s Day but all year long.

“There’s a lot of resources for veterans, but there are not nearly enough, especially for a lot of enlisted soldiers who have gone to hell and back for our country,” he said. “For how much they’ve done for us, we really need to give back. I’m hoping that as Veterans Day continues it brings more awareness to that and more support to that.”