Vigil honors missing veterans

By Zack Thielke
Senior staff writer, The Aquin

Veterans Day is the United States’ observation of the Armistice, commemorating the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. Though the horrible slaughter of that conflict is distant history for many, the holiday recognizes all who have taken up arms in defense of the United States on battlefields from Passchendaele to Fallujah.
For the cadets of Air Force ROTC Detachment 410, the annual Veterans Day POW-MIA Vigil, hosted by the detachment’s Arnold Air Society service organization, is an opportunity to pay tribute to all the American soldiers who have been separated from their comrades, captured and held as prisoners of war or missing in action with an unknown location and status.
Maintaining a 24-hour slow march under the lower quad’s flagpole, cadets from St. Thomas braved the cold and darkness on Nov. 12 and 13, showing solidarity with the silhouetted serviceman on the black Prisoners of War and Missing In Action flag.
“You are not forgotten,” it proclaims, a forlorn head in profile drooping amidst the barbed wire and guard tower of an enemy internment camp.
Organized in 15-minute shifts, pairs of cadets paced the asphalt connecting the arches with John Ireland’s statue in a solemn cadence.
Alone with their thoughts and protected from a reckless student’s interruption by traffic barriers, the event is a matter of respect for the cadets, all of whom are seeking commission upon graduation as an officer in the armed forces.
“Veterans Day is a fantastic opportunity to honor those who have served before us, and every year we do that with this vigil,” said junior Michael Kieffaber, commander of Detachment 410’s Arnold Air Society.
Beginning at 5 p.m. Monday with the posting of the POWMIA flag immediately below the American flag, the vigil’s opening ceremony featured speeches by the Rev. Dennis Dease, university president, and Detachment 410 commander Lt. Col. Sylvia Taylor.
“I am especially proud of each cadet who stands before me here today,” Taylor said. “Our veterans from every era motivate us to create leaders [like these cadets].”
The opening ceremony continued in the John Roach Center auditorium with a presentation by Mary Danielson-Gates, whose husband’s plane was shot down in December 1969 during a mission over Laos.
“Six times the first day, the helicopter lowered a lifeline, but had to pull back due to heavy fire,” Danielson-Gates said.
Though his navigator was eventually recovered nearby, the intensity of hostile fire prevented the Americans from reaching Danielson in time, and he was almost certainly discovered and shot, Danielson-Gates said.
Remorse from not getting to Danielson in time haunted rescue aircrews for the rest of their lives.
Subject to the U.S. military’s largest search and rescue operation, the remains of Capt. Ben Danielson were finally returned to America in the summer of 2007 and received a proper burial.
“Our country had honored its commitment to our vets. We brought him home; it just took a little longer,” Danielson-Gates said.
Initially concerned that there wouldn’t be enough attendance to justify a funeral, the family received a cascade of support from the veterans and sympathizers who flocked to Kenyon, Minn. to show their support.
“People started coming out of the woodwork with their [own] stories and MIA bracelets,” Danielson- Gates said.
“It’s very good to be among you. I fully believe after our miracle this last summer that it’s people like you who brought my husband back home. All veterans sacrificed, whether it was time away from home or their lives.”
The “duty, honor, country” ethic reverberates in the words of St. Thomas cadets, a number of whom come from families with a strong military tradition.
“Being a military child, you really get to know the family aspect, and hearing [Danielson-Gates’] story, it definitely touches a chord,” sophomore Danielle Shipman said.
Freshman Timothy Bettis comes from a similar background.
“I come from a big military family,” Bettis said. “[Veterans Day is] a chance for me to remember those who have given everything for us, and those who will serve in the future.”
This was also the first year St. Thomas students representing other service branches participated, with Army cadets and Navy midshipmen signing up for shifts as well.
“They volunteered out of the blue for that and we’re honored to have them march with us,” Kieffaber said.
Senior Brian Leitzke, commander of the cadet wing, sees the vigil as a powerful experience for the younger class of cadets, as he prepares for his years serving on active duty in the Air Force.
“When I first came here, the thing that really centered me on why I was here was the vigil,” he said. “I believe [this vigil] takes all that we learn and provides a foundation for why we signed up in the first place.
“It’s really humbling to hear Ms. Danielson-Gates and try to live up to that history of service and sacrifice that she and her husband represent. This entire vigil inspires a service commitment, and that leadership career has to be humbled by the history it follows.”