Albert Etzel - As Albert Etzel, 93, grabbed a photo album with “WWII” written on it and opened it up, the tears started to roll down his face as if the war was yesterday. As he pages through pictures from fighting in the South Pacific, he points to people he would consider the real heroes.
He has quite the heroic resume himself, though. Etzel won the Bronze Star twice and made three beachside landings while serving in the war.
After the war, Etzel helped in the kitchen at the American Legion for 65 years. If there was a dinner or event, he’d be there helping out. He spent 20 years working for the city of Marion as well.
He’s a former commander of the American Legion post in Marion but repeatedly said he didn’t do anything special to earn hero status.
It’s harder for him to make it back to the Legion post with his age — he said jokingly he’s 93 going on 100 — but still tries to make it for every fish fry or dinner.
http://www.legiontown.org/honors/5822/legionnaires-chosen-freedom-festival-heroes
Ron Dirks - When Vietnam veteran Ron Dirks first heard about the award on April 1, he thought it was an April Fools’ prank. He doesn’t view himself as a hero, but there are plenty of people who would say otherwise.
Dirks has worked 400 funerals with the American Legion, traveled everywhere from Colorado to Virginia to help the Vietnam Moving Wall and spoken to seven church groups about how his faith saved his life in Vietnam and acted as a turning point in his recovery at home in Marion.
He “really got hooked” helping the Vietnam Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial visiting different cities, at 40 showings, often comforting families of fallen soldiers. One encounter with the mother of a fallen soldier still stands out about a year after his mother passed away.
“She turned around and said, ‘I never got to hug him one last time,’” Dirks said. “I said, ‘Well, I was with my mother when she died, and I didn’t take the time to hug her. ... I’ll stand in for your son if you stand in for my mother.’”
He has four grandchildren. When Dirks visits their school on Veterans Day, he gets about 400 high-fives — a hero’s welcome.
http://www.legiontown.org/honors/5822/legionnaires-chosen-freedom-festival-heroes
