Life Lessons Learned by Veterans

It’s hard for many of us who have never served in the military to fathom the experience. We asked veterans living at Vintage Hills at Prairie Trail to share the most important life lessons they learned.

Russell Tomlinson was a Private First Class in the U.S. Army Infantry. He was in the European theater operation for almost two years and fought in World War II in southern Italy at Anzio Beach Head and took Rome. He trained in Naples then was involved in the southern branch invasion. Tomlinson was part of the anti-tank company on the front line and states “there is nothing pleasant about war.”

Don Varnum was a U.S. Marine during World War II sailing up and down the east and west coasts for two years. He was always willing to serve and has always done what was asked of him.

There are a lot of valuable roles in the military, some you may not have thought of. Don Wiele, a Corporal in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, taught water purification classes and learned how important water purification and safety of the food supply is for the rest of the troops. Laura Foster served in the British Army for two years working to waterproof vehicles so they could go into wet areas. She felt it was her duty to protect her country and learned to be ready for anything. Harold Dowden put planes back together while he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1944-1947. His service gave him a lot of valuable training and education.

Gerald “Jerry” Bradshaw served as a yeoman in the U.S. Navy for four years and had a wonderful experience while stationed in California, Tennessee and Iceland.

J. Neal Clemmer also appreciated the experience and traveled to so many places. Clemmer wanted to be a fighter pilot and that’s what he became. He was a tactical reconnaissance pilot, which he says is “a fancy way of saying “spy.” He flew B51 fighter planes and was in 73 combat missions. Clemmer spent 17 years in the Air Force and 12 years in Strategic Command. He was a Launch Control Officer for the first satellite put up by the Air Force. He was in World War II and the Korean War. The number one lesson Clemmer learned was to follow your dreams and your survival instincts.

Thank you to all veterans for their service and thank you to the veterans we spoke to for sharing their experience and the knowledge they gained.

For more information, contact Vintage Hills at Prairie Trails at 1-888-568-3230 or visit vintagehillsankeny.watermarkcommunities.com.