Every year on November 11, we take the time to thank those around us who have served or are serving in the United States armed forces. While Memorial Day honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, it is important to remember that veterans too have made incredible sacrifices to protect our country and our freedom. For that, we honor and thank them on Veterans Day. I had the pleasure of speaking with two veterans here at Nazareth last year, and they both have graciously allowed me to publish these interviews in this year’s newspaper.

Mr. DeCaesar, U.S. Army

Mr. DeCaesar joined the Army coming right out of high school. As he describes it, “I was … going through rough patch, having lost my father and grandmother, wasn’t really doing well in school. I got up one day and just joined the Army … [my family has] a lot of army history.” For him, “being in the military really matured me and allowed me to shape myself into who I am … I had a lot of responsibilities and was involved in life-or-death situations, so you get to learn what’s important in life from the experiences you get from the military.” He adds that being in the military gave him life experience: “It also helped me deal with leadership … that really helps you when you’re getting a job … there’s almost no one you haven’t dealt with … It really is a life experience that helps you make better decisions later in life from what you’ve experienced.” Something else he said he learned was how to be a leader: “You need to put people in the best position as you can as a leader so that everyone makes it out alive … it’s not that dramatic in real life, but the same skills apply … You get to learn people’s strengths and weaknesses and you put them in the best positions … I try to do that here … where I have an influence … to recognize a talent in a student.”

Mr. DeCaesar went on to share quite a few memories (as well as his love for telling stories!) “I got to meet people from all around the country … [I went to basic training] in Oklahoma for 6 mos., one of the hottest places… it was ungodly hot. It was a neat experience … I spent my 2½ years active duty in Schofield Barracks, on the island of Oahu in Hawaii … We trained on the Big Island, at about 6000 feet above sea level. It’s a weird place – it looks like the surface of the moon. It was freezing … and it would snow up there. I don’t know how many people can say they had a snowball fight in Hawaii. “

To girls who are interested in going into the military after high school, he comments “It’s not for everybody; not everyone can or should be in the military. It all depends on what you’re looking to do… It’s a really good place to learn a skill, no matter what it is, whether it’s tech … you could go in and be a plumber, an engineer, a doctor, a lawyer. And the best part is they’ll pay for it, schooling, education … You can pretty much do whatever you want in life once you come out because you’re highly desired as a worker because of work ethic and everything you go through in the military.” But he also warns, “it’s not an easy job, you really have to be committed to putting in a lot of work, physical work, mental work, it’s really challenging; and not everyone is going to be able to do it. It’s a real commitment you have to make … and some people just know that they can do it and that they are really passionate about it. And that’s the type of mentality; you should want to go in for the right reasons: you want to serve your country, become a productive citizen, better yourself, better your family and it’ll all work out.”

Mr. Severino, U.S. Army

Mr. Severino also joined the US Army “right out of high school” for six years as a combat engineer which was his primary MOS (military occupation specialty). “We would go to the field and we would build bridges and mobile buildings and things like that. [I] was overseas a few times and it was a good experience; I met a lot of wonderful people, many of whom I am still in touch with today.” He adds that his family’s history played a large role: “My family always had that military tradition, so it was very important to me at that time; my grandfather and my father both had served; my father was in WWII … and the Korean war. So I felt like it was my calling … to join the military. And I believed in it … serving my nation. They were both Army, my grandfather was in WWI; I actually have some old, original phots, which is quite remarkable they survived over a century…”

When asked what he gained from his experience, Mr. Sev says “I think the military helped me out tremendously, for one it gave me my first sense of autonomy; I was living on my own, I was 17 years old, I was young; I was traveling to different parts of the world, I was meeting many different kinds of people, many opened my eyes to the world around me. And it gave me a responsibility; I was in charge of some very expensive equipment. And it gave a lot of good engineering skills too; … it laid a good foundation for that kind of thinking”

To girls who are interested in serving in the military, Mr. Sev advises “you have to make sure it’s the right decision for you; that you weigh every option accordingly; make sure that … the job you’re choosing, your MOS, your specialty … [is] something that you want to do … don’t choose a job that you think other people think you should be doing.” He warns that it is important to “understand that it’s definitely not going to be easy; it’s a difficult endeavor. You have to keep in mind that … the risk of being sent overseas, to a combat zone, exists; you have to acknowledge the inherent dangers, because they are there.” That said, he encourages girls, saying, “I’ve come away from the service with a great sense of pride; I’m glad I served, and the military was very good to me. And I’m still enjoying benefits from the military. So just remain true to your heart, know what you want to: don’t choose a job that you think other people think you should be doing. Believe in yourself that you’ll be able to overcome any obstacle that is thrown at you: when you join the military, you’re going to have a lot of obstacles thrown at you. Remain strong, resilient, believe in yourself, remain true to your heart.”

And as always, we thank our veterans for their service!