March 28, 2024

Celebrate our veterans

From Dan Kirkpatrick

Creston

I know that I should be writing a letter telling people whom to vote for, but allow me to take you back into time to help celebrate Veterans Day and the completion of the Freedom Rock. Let’s go back to March 2, 1945, at an obscure airfield somewhere in England. It is early in the morning and a young officer with the 8th Air Force of the Army Air Corps starts his day the same as he has for months since he was assigned to this particular base, with a large breakfast. Afterwards he is seated in a briefing to find out the mission orders for the day’s bombing raid into Germany. He takes care to write down all the pertinent information that is required of his job of bombardier. Following the briefing, he goes into the security shack to sign for his “baby,” the Nordan bombsight to be installed in his B26 medium bomber.

This young man then completes all the necessary adjustments to the bombsight and readies himself for takeoff and the start of the mission.

This article isn’t about the guns fired in anger or the bombs dropped on some forgotten target, nor is it about medals or chests full of ribbons. This is about the telegram his young bride received and the Gold Star that was in the window. This is about a Second Lieutenant from Creston, Iowa who answered the call put forth by his country to fight an awful war.

This young man’s name was 2nd Lt. Doyle Proffitt, my uncle. Our family was never told of how he died that day in March and that fact really didn’t matter. He was gone and died for his country. This is just a little story about an average soldier doing what he was trained to do and did it simply because it was his “job.”

We seem to forget that under the Army, the Navy, Marine, Coast Guard and Air Force uniforms that these are just young men and women doing what they have been trained to do, THEIR JOB. I have yet to meet any of the young men and women from either of the five branches who regard themselves as heroes.

I have never had the trouble of honoring these individuals each and every day. So, please honor them the way they have honored us. They have served our country, our people, and our freedom. Past, present and future know what needs to be done and do it without hesitation so that we all my be free.