Their wars in their own words | Renton Reporter special report videos
Published 3:40 pm Friday, August 5, 2011
Their lives span four generations. The wars they fought have shaped our nation, revealing her strengths and exposing our weaknesses.
As part of our Renton Reporter special report on taking care of those who serve, we asked four veterans to sit down in front of a video camera to talk about “their” war, their reception home and how veterans of today are treated by their country.
The veterans were interviewed at the VFW Post 1263 in downtown Renton and at the VFW Post 9430 in Skyway, surrounded by American Flags and the memories of those who served their country.
Sharing their stories were Glenn Bowers, a World War II veteran, Gerald Patrick Darst, who fought in the Korean Conflict, Darrell Pilat, a Vietnam veteran, and Sgt. 1st Class Chad Hassebroek, who when he retires in a few months will have served his country for 25 years.
It was certainly a walk through American history, an oral timeline that speaks to a united country after World War II and a divided one after the Vietnam War. Activist Vietnam veterans laid the groundwork for the benefits accorded today’s veterans, by demanding that our nation take care of them.
Today, we’re presenting the interviews with Bower, Darst and Pilat. Next Friday, we’ll hear from Hassebroek.
GLENN BOWERS
GERALD PATRICK DARST
DARRELL PILAT
