Maintenance staff member William Bauer was kind enough to visit Mr. Tuffiash’s journalism 1 class on Thursday, November 5, 2015 to share his stories as a veteran. His visit sparked the realization that many young minds today do not necessarily realize or appreciate the importance of learning about our country’s past. Mr. Bauer, a man with vast experience serving our country in the Army Reserves, aided in bridging the gap between today’s younger generation and past generations’ patriotism. He put his experiences and emotions about his two tours into one word, “pride.”
When it comes to standout moments during Mr. Bauer’s tours, he identified a moment during a training session in Honduras. He was deployed during Operation Golden Pheasant, when aid was sent to Honduras because Nicaraguan troops crossed the border. His squadron, the 429th Engineer Battalion, was “training these Honduran soldiers” in techniques used in construction when a helicopter landed nearby. “[They] were like what the heck’s going on here”, and had “the greatest” surprise of receiving a delivery from Domino’s Pizza.
Bauer’s certificate of service for Fuertes Caminos
Henceforth, our generation needs to care about people like Mr. Bauer. Just because they do not wear service uniform in school, does not mean that we should not show appreciation for their past services. So next time you see Mr. Bauer, as we approach Veterans Day, maybe say a simple “thank you,” or acknowledge for what he did for us would be appropriate. Before you know it, we will have no veterans left in our world.
A photo of Bauer in some down time at base camp in Honduras
Bauer’s base camp in Honduras.