by Anthony Rifilato
For Baldwin resident Jack Keegan, one of the images that stands out is when he came home to New York from World War II with other soldiers returning from overseas, and received an ebullient welcome. For Herman Saunders, it was when he made a daring escape from a German prison camp on April 15, 1945.
Those are just some of the memories Baldwin veterans have of their time spent in the services during times of war.
This Memorial Day, many say that the day of remembrance for America's soldiers takes on added significance. Although the main fighting in Iraq is over, Baldwin veterans said those soldiers who died fighting and those who continue to fight should be remembered along with those who have and died in wars past.
"This is where you honor those who gave their lives in all the wars we fought," said Keegan, a chaplan at Baldwin's American Legion and a WWII veteran. Keegan, an 11-year Baldwin resident who was stationed aboard the USS New Jersey from 1943 to 1946, said he remembers the warm reception soldiers received upon returning home.
"After the war they treated us generously," said Keegan, explaining that opportunities for veterans shortly after the war, such as the G.I. Bill, were a "godsend."
"We were welcomed home graciously," he said.
Keegan, who will speak at the Memorial Day services, said that the era of those known as America's "greatest generation" carries a certain nostalgia, something Keegan said is not as strong for other generations' soldiers.
"If we didn't win that war, you wouldn't have what you have today," said Keegan. "That was one we had to win."
Keegan said that today's soldiers deserve recognition of their own. "I feel sorry for these young kids today," he said. "I hope they get a decent acknowledgement."
For Saunders, a past president of the American Legion, the 118 days he spent as a prisoner in Hamburg, Germany compelled him to escape. Saunders, who was a bugler in the Army's 99th Division, vividly remembers when he and four other soldiers escaped after hiding in a haystack in a barn near Munich.
"Good thing we were skinny," said Saunders, who recalled that a German officer had searched for the escaped men, and had even poked around with a pitchfork in the hay.
Saunders remembered how they walked into a clearing afterward, and how he traded his sweater for a loaf of bread before they finally reached American troops. Upon returning home to New Jersey, Saunders and other soldiers were met with a warm welcome.
"I think that when these guys come back, it will be the same thing," Saunders said of today's troops.
Today, other Baldwinites are serving overseas. One of the troops serving in Iraq is Frank Burns Jr. Burns, a first lieutenant and combat engineer with the 101st Airborn Division, has been in Iraq since the onset of the war, and is now assisting with rebuilding eforts in the country.
"He's actually living and working in a former Saddam palace," said his mother, Joanne, though she said the palace is in disarray after looting and bombings.
On May 1, the Burns family and others who have children serving in the war were presented with a Blue Star Banner from the Nassau Republican Committee. Burns is slated to return home in mid-August, after a six-month deployment.
"We're a little relieved that the war ended so quickly," his mother said. "But we still feel he's in a dangerous place. We'd rather have him home."
