Absecon students salute veterans

Nov, 12-2009 11:53 am

By STEVE PRISAMENT
Staff Writer

ABSECON – Army Sgt. 1st Class Terrence Forester has been around.

Currently stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., he has been on two tours of Iraq duty, Kosovo, Honduras and El Salvador. He was in Bosnia when the planes crashed in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. Twenty years ago he was in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down.

And Wednesday, Nov. 11 he spent Veterans Day at Absecon Schools – thanking other veterans for their service and addressing the student body.

His brother Robert, also a sergeant first class in the Army, lives here with his wife, Gina and their daughters Emily and Amanda.

“This is unique,” Terrence Forester said of the thank yous received by veterans. “It didn’t happen for the old timers. They didn’t come back to praise for their service in World War II, Korea or Vietnam. They’re getting it now. It’s an honor to be here in their presence.”

Unlike many public schools, Absecon schools are open on Veterans Day to honor and learn from area veterans. The program by American Legion Post 28 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9642 has long been headed by local veterans leader Jack Cesar.

Some 50 veterans attended an early morning breakfast followed by a student assembly.

Forester also thanked the students.

“Your support – the gift boxes and letters – really mean a lot to the soldiers over there,” he said. “War is nothing like what you see on TV. There’s lots of downtime. For every 10 seconds of action, there are days and weeks when there’s nothing to do.”

The packages from home help recharge the soldiers’ batteries, he said.

Forester told his young audience that there are real heroes at home as well.

“A soldier’s life is pretty easy,” he said. “We have a place to sleep, they give us food and tell us where to go and when. Back home our families have difficult lives, dealing with changes and adjustments.”

Forester’s wife, Wen, served eight years as an aviation medic in the Army, he said.

“We were in Bosnia together,” he said. “The second time I was in Iraq, she carried our baby alone – taking care of a 4-year-old. She is my hero.”

Their daughter Jordan, 4, was born during his first tour in Iraq. Son Jack was born just after he returned from his most recent tour there.

“We have to – as the soldiers say it – keep our eye on the prize in Iraq,” Forester said. “Good things are happening there. I’ve had the honor of witnessing this firsthand.”

Gen. David H. Petraeus’ counterinsurgency is working, according to Forester.

“The enemy in Iraq has not been the Iraqis,” he said. “General Petraeus was the first to understand that. They are all insurgents. In my time there processing prisoners, I never saw an Iraqi.”

Americans stationed in Iraq would go on missions and return to their bases, Forester said. Now they stay in the Iraqi communities living among the natives and helping rebuild the infrastructure.

“What I’ve seen is a much more peaceful Iraq,” he said. “And we can do the same thing in Afghanistan. It’s a little more rural and rustic, so it might take longer.”

Forester brought his gear for the students to see. A popular visual on Wednesday, the bag he carries often weighs more than 100 pounds, he said.

“And it’s the desert there – so it’s hot,” he said. “We have the greatest army and equipment. Those we’re fighting are not of our caliber.”

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Taylor Walsh. Cesar spoke in remembrance of longtime City Councilman and American Legion Post Commander Charles Norris, who died July 16. Students asked questions that veterans took turns answering, a regular program feature.



To comment on this story email steve.prisament@catamaranmedia.com.