Cambria American Legion Post 432 hosted a Veterans Day ceremony and lunch at the Veterans Hall on Monday.
“We may or may not have served together but in many ways, veterans can come together and support each other,” said Dave Ehlers, Air Force veteran.
According to the United States Census Bureau, there are 15.8 million veterans in the U.S. as of 2023. Nearly 25 percent of those veterans served during the Gulf War, including Ehlers.
For 9 of the 22 years Ehlers served, he was a pilot in the Air Force.
“For that time frame when we were focused on the Gulf War/Desert Shield/Desert Storm, I was flying all over the world at that point and then chief of safety at Riyadh Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia for two tours and flying missions out of there in support of our forces,” Ehlers shared.
Vietnam veteran David Pierson served in the Navy for nearly 10 years.
“Our ship was never fired on, but other destroyers off the coast of Vietnam got fired on. That was not good. There was one ship that was hit very badly, and a lot of people lost their lives on that ship,” Pierson recalled.
“The effects continue to work in my life and I'm 79 years old,” said Terry Sheppard, Vietnam War veteran.
Sheppard says PTSD is a reality for many veterans. The Veterans Affairs labeled him as disabled with PTSD.
“When I came back to America and finished my four-year tour of duty in the Air Force, I was a wreck. My mind was chaos, and I was scared to death,” Sheppard said.
More than 100 community members attended Monday's event at the Veterans Hall in Cambria to show their support for veterans of all wars.
The American Legion in Cambria hosts regular dinners and other opportunities for veterans to gather. Click here for more information.
