At a time a of tenuous support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands will put politics aside Monday to turn out for festivities honoring the nation’s warriors and veterans.
Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, will lead one of those events as grand marshal of the National Memorial Day Parade, the largest of several in the area. He earned the honor in part because the Reserve is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
A veteran of the Vietnam War, Stultz spoke proudly about the difference between how warriors are honored now versus in the late 60s and early 70s, when they were often told to remove their uniforms before returning from combat to preclude attacks from anti-war activists.
“There is frustration,” he said, in terms of the country’s future in Iraq and Afghanistan. “But there is no [longer] frustration when it comes to the pride and respect and the dedication of my soldiers.”
Attending the parade will be thousands of deeply tanned, motorcycle-riding veterans in town for weekend festivities such as Sunday’s 21st annual Rolling Thunder rally in honor of lost and missing troops.
Many are filled with an uncomfortable mixture of pride and disappointment.
“The good thing is that the American people now support the troops that are in the service,” said Ken Tatta, a retired Marine who rode into town from Long Island, N.Y. “But when you get the wounded home, take care of them … The [Veteran’s Administration] has absolutely dropped the ball, and that’s what frustrates us.”
Gen. Stultz, whose reservists are one of the military’s most strained forces, is aware of the growing pains his organization has experienced as it transitioned from a strategic role before 2001 to an active, operational role today. More than 26,000 reservists are on active duty, and since 9/11, 158 have lost their lives in service.
“We’ve done very good about up-front health care and getting soldiers ready before they deploy, and providing health care while they’re deployed,” Stultz said. “We’ve got to change some of the systems — we have to be able to ensure we take care of our soldiers once they come home and return to civilian life.”
