In the midst of Spirit Week, the Episcopal community paused to observe Veterans Day on Wednesday.
Twelve EA alumni, who served in World War II, Korean, and the Vietnam Wars, were welcomed back to campus and recognized for their service.
Ed Vick '62, a veteran of the Vietnam War and Chair of The Board of Trustees, addressed the audience at the combined Middle and Upper School Chapel.
Vick opened his address explaining to students, "If you were in the class of 1941, three-fourths of your class would be going out to serve your country." He referenced the thousands of gold stars that blanket the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., saying, "precisely 4,048 of them. Does each represent an American who gave his or her life? No, each one of those stars represents one hundred Americans."
During the Vietnam War, Vick pointed out, "Over 58,000 of us died in that war. I knew a number of them. One of them was Specialist Fourth Class Eddie McIlvain, U.S. Army Special Forces, a medic, EA Class of '64."
"Today, we are trying to wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. From a large percentage of the population serving in World War II, to a lesser percent serving in Vietnam, now there is less than one-percent. Less than one-percent carries the burden for our freedom for all of us." Vick explained this one-percent are the "most special Americans. The one-percent who stepped up and said, 'send me.'"
Vick says he is proud that he served, "My service to country pretty much made me, actually." There are many aspects of the war Vick is not proud of, but he is "proud that I became part of something bigger than myself. I came back a far better person."
Half of Vick's unit in Vietnam, "ended up either dead, wounded, or missing in action, but we accomplished our mission."
In simpler terms, Vick compared "serving" to picking up the tab at lunch. Turning to the veterans sitting in the front pews, he shared, "I am proud to be a part of a special family. I am proud to be one of them, who said when the bill came for the price of freedom, I got this one."
"The value of being a good and active part of being something bigger than yourself, that is service, that is citizenship, that is being an American."
In closing, Vick observed, "You can say thank you for your service, you can say thank you for picking up the check, thanks for paying for my freedom. I will say you are welcome; I hope there isn't a next one."
Veterans in attendance included: Francis Coxe Forbes '37 WW II, Davis Pearson '43 WWII, Harry French '44 WWII,
Fred Haab '55 Korea, Bill Rapp '56 Korea, Stu Glasby '61 Vietnam, Cappy Markle '61 Vietnam, Rick Duffield '62 Vietnam,
Ed Vick '62 Vietnam, Drew Jackson '63 Vietnam, Gardiner Pearson '63 Vietnam, Tom Zug '64 Vietnam,
Hank Albrycht Vietnam, Will Forbes, Andy Hess Vietnam, and Bill McArdle Vietnam.