Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Veterans Day is Nov. 11, and this year it falls on a Tuesday. Members of the Otto M. Walker American Legion Post 49 and its Auxiliary will be up bright and early to prepare a Veterans Day Breakfast, to be served at 8:30 a.m. at 1065 S. Water St. The breakfast is free for Veterans, and a donation is appreciated from other guests.
At 9 a.m., a Veterans Day program will begin with special introductions. The guest speaker, Colonel (Ret) George C. Goller II, will give an address beginning at 9:10 a.m.. Col. Goller graduated from Florida State University in 1967 with a bachelor's in marketing and finance. He joined the Army and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant after completing Infantry OCS at Ft. Benning, Ga. He completed the Ranger, Airborne and Pathfinder schools and served in Vietnam from November 1970 to October 1971. Goller was a member of an eight-man advisor team working with a South Vietnamese Border Ranger Group whose firebase was on the Cambodian border. The group's mission was interdiction/surveillance, and, among other duties, he was the one zero for the unit’s reconnaissance team, RT Lightening. Over the years, he held many other leadership positions. Among Goller's 28 badges/decorations, he was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, Air Medal and Bronze Star. He also earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and Vietnamese Ranger Badge. He retired in June 2002 after 34 years of service.
After retirement, Goller worked as a military consultant, spending seven years in Afghanistan helping to rebuild the Afghan National Army. In addition, he spent time in Africa, training and assisting military forces of the African Union countries. He now works part-time supporting U.S. Army training events in Europe and the Pacific rim.
Col. Goller has been together with his wife Linda for 50 years and has one son, Kyle.
After Goller's speech, around 9:30 a.m., two raffle ticket holders will win rifles. The first prize is a new, unfired Ruger AR 5.56mm NATO/.223 Rem AR-15. The second prize is a Tikka T1x, .22 LR rifle. Tickets cost $5 each, and all proceeds go into the general fund of American Legion Post 49.
For more information about these Veterans Day events, contact Post 49 Commander Ed Gifford at 330-354-5533 or Kenny Thie at 850-666-3643.
Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day, was established at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1919. It marked the first anniversary of the Armistice agreement that stopped the fighting in World War I while terms of a permanent peace were discussed. In 1926, a Congressional resolution made it an annual observance, and in 1938 it was designated a national holiday. Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans – living or dead – to thank them for serving their country whether during war or in peacetime.
There are three local organizations serving Veterans in our community. American Legion Post 49 – named for Otto M. Walker, a WWI Veteran – has regular meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at 1065 S. Water St. American Legion Post 234 meets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at 100 Water St. (the Teen Center). Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 251 meets at 5 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month at 910 Mamie Scott Dr.