Former U.S. Senator Judd Gregg once said, “The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.” On Veterans Day, Ruleville Middle School Principal Earnest Nelson held a program in honor of all veterans. Nelson hosts this patriotic event each year, giving veterans a forum to share their stories with young people. Some of Nelson’s middle school students had the opportunity to ask the veterans questions about their duties in the service and while overseas. Sunflower County’s Veteran Services Officer Ola Kirk attended the program and spoke about returning from war to be welcomed by a parade thrown for the soldiers. Kirk went on to become a trooper with the Mississippi Highway Patrol. She retired from that agency two years ago. Nelson had veterans from multiple wars explain how they were treated when they returned home. He asked the older veterans who fought in Vietnam to share their experiences first. “When we came back, we were treated horribly,” James Pointer, 1st Sergeant (1SG) and Vietnam War veteran, said. Pointer described the difficulties in seeking employment for soldiers who had fought in Vietnam. “Some of those soldiers had very bad PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome), and they would fight with people,” he said. Bolivar County’s District 1 Constable Samuel K. Toliver Sr. also fought in southeast Asia during that time, and he rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC). “Some people would call us baby killers because we would have to do whatever it took to survive,” Toliver said. “And some of those kids would have bombs on them and would try to attack us.” Toliver expressed the stress of fighting and returning home during that time. Lorenzo Cotton fought in the war in Afghanistan, and he explained how difficult it was for him to transition back into society after being on active duty. “I would remain in the house for a month or two months before I would start going out and being around others,” Cotton said. Bennie Norwood, Seargent First Class (SFC), explained to the students what it was like to be drafted into the military. “If I didn’t go, yes, I would have gone to jail,” he said. A student asked Norwood how long he would have had to be in jail if he chose not to go to the military. All of the veterans said, “That would have been up to the judge back then.” Kirk also expressed that one of the reasons that she joined the military was because during that time if you joined the military would take care of some bills. “They don’t do that anymore, but that was one of the reasons I joined,” she said. A student asked the veterans if their good days outweighed their bad days. The veterans expressed that they had more good than bad days because they knew they had support from their battle members and some support back home.
