Thank you veterans
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on November 12, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Churk Bergman holds on to his grandson Phillip Smith, 5, while saluting during "The Star Spangled Banner" Wednesday during the Wreath Laying Ceremony.
Hundreds of people huddled close together along Center Street on a chilly Wednesday morning to pay tribute and to show their respect and appreciation for the veterans of Wayne County.
Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Craver, command chief of the 4th Fighter Wing, was honored as the Grand Marshal of the Goldsboro Veterans Day Parade for his 30 years of service.
Many paradegoers held up signs thanking veterans and active duty servicemen and women, with several people waving and shouting thank you to all the veterans as they passed by the crowd.
Vic Miller, a 22-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran, emceed the event, providing welcoming comments and announcing the some 85 entries as they passed the main point of the parade at the intersection of Center and Walnut streets.
As the parade rolled down Center Street, one man continually saluted throughout the entire event -- Bob Leggett.
Clad in his Army dress uniform, Leggett saluted the men and women in the parade that were showing him what everyone else in the crowd was showing veterans across the nation on Wednesday -- gratitude.
"Many will look to this day as just another day off," said Col. Mark Slocum, 4th Fighter Wing commander. "Those in uniform know that because of the veterans we are here to honor today, we enjoy a quality of life envied around the world."
According to the most recent statistics available from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 12,000 veterans live in Wayne County. Among these thousands of men and women who served in the armed forces, Leggett is well-known and respected. He was a combatant during his first tour in Vietnam, which was his first foray into the military. He served as a radio telephone operator in Vietnam, meaning he called in airstrikes, napalm strikes and Agent Orange strikes, he said.
During his second tour he served in the 173rd Airborne, before moving on to become part of the 25th infantry.
He would go on to serve in many other roles in the military and various branches of law enforcement, from working with Scotland Yard, to working as a secret agent overseas and serving in three offices in that capacity, as well as much, much more.
"When I first came back from combat, I would only wear civilian clothes," Leggett said, standing off to the side after the Veteran's Day parade downtown had ended. "For me, it's a reminder. We have a philosophy that no man is left behind, and that's what this shows me here today, that we haven't left each other behind."
Leggett estimates he has been around the world more than 20 times, and said he has been to all theatres one can go to while in the military.
"I spent a lot of time seeing the world for what it was worth," Leggett said. "I saw people and how they lived around the world, and it helped me understand what goes on in our world."
He said he is currently undergoing therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is receiving cognitive therapy also, and that Veterans Day provides time for him to reflect on his service and appreciate his fellow veterans and the support of this community.
"It's about taking care of the people, because the people come first," Leggett said. "It means a lot to me. I would tell people (who want to honor veterans) to just help them in any way they can. I have a very good sense of pride about my service, and I appreciate things like this that honor veterans."