Port Chester Veterans Talk Memories, American Apathy

American Idol is a sore point with Col. Joseph Tirone.

For the Port Chester native, it's not about the usual nitpicking over whether the Adam Lamberts and Crystal Bowersoxes of the world deserved to win–it's the feeling that, judging by the media appetites and attention spans of Americans, most people seem to care more about a music contest than the two ongoing wars.

"Pretty pathetic, if you ask me," is how Tirone puts it.

Tirone, who is currently stationed in Germany, wrote an e-mail to a long list of people he knew last year, relating the story of how he had met the mother of a 22-year-old combat medic who was killed in 2008–it turned out that the young corporal was a member of the 25th Infantry Division, where Tirone was assigned as a young lieutenant.

On a day when Tirone said he was tired, angry and feeling sorry for himself, he bumped into the deceased corporal's mother by chance. The resulting conversation inspired him to sit down and write that long mass e-mail.

The corporal's name was William "Bill" McMillan, and he was from Lexington, KY. He was one of 5,461 casualties at the time, Tirone wrote. Then he challenged everyone on that e-mail list.

"Can you name one?" he asked.

As the country marks Veteran's Day in 2010, after almost a decade of war since Sept. 11, 2001, local veterans of wars past and present are reflecting on memories–the hardships and horrors, certainly, but the good times and the camaraderie with friends too. Some will think of friends lost in war; others will pray for friends who remain overseas in both war zones.

But some are asking: What about the other 364 days of the year? One recurring theme in conversations with veterans is the perceived apathy of Americans.

Sam Salvatore left Port Chester High School six months before graduation to join the military as an 18-year-old in 1943.

"My mother and father were crying, but I was the happiest kid in the world because I was going into the U.S. Navy," said Salvatore, who is now 85.

Salvatore recalls how his parents changed. When he arrived home on leave in 1944, his once-reluctant father insisted on walking home from the train station instead of taking a cab, so neighbors and friends could see his pride as he walked with his son.

"People respected you when they saw a sailor or anybody walking through Port Chester," Salvatore said. "Today, nobody cares. It's a different ball game. I would resent having my kid go to war now."

What's frustrating, some veterans say, is the way ideologues of all stripes view the war as a political tool. When President George W. Bush was in office, anti-war demonstrations reached a fever pitch, with crowds of hundreds of thousands swelling major American cities. Since Bush left office, the anti-war movement's gone quiet – there's disagreement over whether that's because the rallies aren't happening as frequently, they're less well-attended, or media isn't covering them.

But while the war debates and headlines have largely died down, the wars haven't.

On Wednesday, Tirone spent the day dedicating a memorial at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. The event was attended by more than 300, including military and civilians, Tirone said.

"I don't think you would ever see anything like that in New York," Tirone told Patch. "In fact, if you walk through Port Chester and ask a dozen people what a Gold Star family is, you'll probably get a blank stare. ... Most probably wouldn't even know why today is a federal holiday."

For Tirone, it's the twilight of a long career in uniform. After 28 years, he's looking ahead to retirement and hopes the younger generation of military members hold their heads high.

"My mentor once told me, 'What this country needs, it cannot buy,'" he said. "It needs dedicated soldiers who see service to their country as an affair of the heart. That's the way it is with me and most of my fellow service members, and we need more like us as we retire and move on."

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