What an honor it is to live in a country where we have the right to practice many freedoms. We owe all of this to those who risked their lives to ensure these freedoms. In honor of Veteran’s day I had the pleasure to speak with locals about their experience in the military.
Current 10 year Leading Petty Officer in the Navy Reserves, Jonathan Saylor, was active duty in the military for 8 years. In 2002 Modesto, CA he chose to enlist into the U.S. Navy following the footsteps of 6 immediate family members before him. Saylor and his family describe joining the military as the honorable thing to do. The majority of his time in the military was overseas. He served from Little Creek, VA all the way to Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, Africa and South America. One of Saylor’s most memorable moments was when he served on a protection detail for President G.W. Bush in Uruguay on his South American tour. Leading Petty Officer Saylor has made many lifelong friends while serving active duty whom he is still in contact with. His strong worth ethics and credibility is owed to the military. Saylor not only now works in the Navy Reserves but has been a police officer for the Brownfield P.D. for 5 years where he has recently been promoted to a sergeant. This past Monday November 11, 2019 he was invited to a breakfast with more than 50 local Terry County veterans. These local veterans consisted of people from the fire department, police department, EMS personnel, and many who fought for our country dating back to War World 2 until current. The former mayor Tom Hesse was amongst these veterans. According to Saylor there were even whispers of Tom Hesse running for mayor again!
Another local veteran who is memorable to note is Jamie Kay Rash Roney. In 1987 Columbus, Ohio she enlisted into the army. This was a huge step for her, as women only make up a small percentage of the U.S. Army. Roney chose to enlist to help pay for her future college expenses. She used up two GI Bills and part of the Hazelwood Act to help her obtain her PhD in Nursing. As a hospital corpsman in the army she spent majority of her time in Heidelberg, Germany where she supported many combat zones as a female medic. When posed with the question of which rank she was most proud of she stated that every rank she achieved was a step forward as a woman in the military. Women only make up approximately 10% of the U.S. Army today. She was told that she could not do many things while spending almost 8 years of her life serving our country. Yet, she exceeded all expectations and proved many wrong. To her any promotion was an accomplishment as a woman. An accomplished woman that she is! She recently got her PhD in nursing and is well sought for her intellect.
These are just a few of the many veterans that make up our county and our country. They all deserve a special recognition for their service to our country. We owe our freedom to them! (Story by: Alyssa Haden Moore)
