The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Veterans trip changes lives, gives closure
The veterans trip to Washington, D.C. has changed lives and given closure to those who served — and for Erwin Smith, the spearhead of the program, he’s grateful it’s been going as long as it has.
“I got to be honest with you, I didn’t think it would last 11 years,” Smith said. “Had Rotary not sponsored this and put their name behind this, it wouldn’t have happened. And the community and the people in this town have been wonderful. You figure 10 years at $19,000 — that’s a lot of money that came from this community.”
At the Oneida Rotary meeting on Tuesday, May 21, Smith talked about the impact the veterans trip has had on local veterans. Since its inception, Smith said more than 600 veterans and their family members have gotten life-changing experience out of the trip.
Smith said on one trip, a veteran from Sherrill was on amission to say goodbye to a longtime friend.
“He was on Iwo Jima and waiting for orders,” Smith said. “They got their orders, stood up and moved out. He was three miles inland when he realized his buddy wasn’t with him. He found out later that when they stood up from their foxhole, his friend was shot and killed.”
Smith said this Sherrill veteran knew his friend was buried in Arlington Cemetery, but having grown old and in a wheelchai, he couldn’t make it there on his own; nor could he afford it. Two EMTs from the community accompanied the veterans on the trip and went with the Sherrill veteran to help him locate his friend’s gravestone.
“He kissed the gravestone goodbye,” Smith said. “That was his closure. And he had all those years to think about it.”
Smith said on another trip, a doctor who served in Vietnam got the closure he needed for all the soldiers he couldn’t save.
“He lost a lot of people he worked on and had a tough time going to the Vietnam Memorial,” Smith said. “For 45 minutes, he walked back and forth and found the name of everyone he lost and touched the names. That was his closure.”
For other veterans, the trip can break down barriers and let them open up for the first time.
“It was the second or third year, but at the end of the trip, I had a woman come up to me and give me a big hug,” Smith said. “She told me she’s been married to her husband for almost 50 years and never knew what he did during the war. When his grandkids would ask him what he did during the war, he’d get up and walk out of the room. He wouldn’t talk about it. But talking to other veterans about what they did, he opened
up to her and kept her up all night telling her.”
Smith said he could write a book on all he’s experienced during the veterans trip.
“I think I’ve gotten more out of the trip than the veterans have,” Smith said. “I talk to a lot of these veterans. When I was in high school, we studied World War II and about Bataan and the Battle of the Bulge, but it’s a lot different when you talk to someone who went through this and lived through this. It’s amazing.”
Smith spearheaded the campaign to give veterans the chance to visit Washington, D.C. and visit the war memorials around the nation’s capital after Smith’s friend and WWII veteran Louis Balducci of Canastota went to the dedication for the WWII Memorial with his son.
“He [Louis] came back and he said to me ‘Smitty, we gotta figure out a way to get these World War II veterans down there to see this monument’,” Smith said.
With many of the World War II veterans unable to make the drive or afford the trip, Smith and Balducci started working to fund a trip to Washington, D.C.
Smith said in 2005, he approached Rotary for help but was denied at the time because the Board of Directors thought it was too big of a job. One year later, Smith said James Yonai became president and approached him.
“After his first meeting, he [James] pulled me aside and said ‘Smitty, I want to talk to you about the program to Washington. Tell me more about it’,” Smith said. “I told him and he then tells me we’re going to do it. That took me by surprise.”
Smith said he and Yonai got together with the American Legion and outlined what they were going to do. Smith said the Legion was skeptical; after all, they were offering the Legion a trip for veterans that wouldn’t cost thema penny. But in the end, the veterans trip to Washington D.C. has become an important part of not just the veterans community, but the community as a whole.
Oneida Rotarian Vince Mellon attended the 2018 veterans trip as a chaperone for Japanese foreign exchange student Shoei Shimode, or Shawn to his friends. When two veterans were unable to make the trip last minute, their spots opened up he was given the opportunity.
“This is the first time I’ve been on the trip, but I’ve been there personally,” Mellon said. “It was Shawn’s first time.”
Mellon said to see these veterans react, standing next any memorial and the expression on their face is telling.
Mellon said Shawn spent his time on the trip talking with veterans and hearing their stories. “At one point, we went over to the Pentagon Memorial and he was talking to everyone,” Mellon said. “He seemed very impressed with the whole thing.”
In order to send all 52 veterans and their guests to D.C., the Oneida Rotary needs to raise about $19,000. On average, it costs around $345 for one veteran to go.
Those interested in sponsoring a veteran or donating to future trips can contact Smith at 315761-9450.