Sometimes, Zollie Smith’s heart is weakened.
It’s especially weak as he addresses men and women who’ve “given the ultimate sacrifice” in serving their country as a member of the U.S. armed forces. Smith, along with Blue Springs Mayor Carson Ross, addressed Blue Springs Assembly members Sunday morning at the church’s Veterans Day celebration.
“So, as I stand today, I stand on behalf of all the men and women who could not be here today and for those of us who are here,” Smith said. “We give thanks to God and to people like yourselves. We really don’t know how great it is until we learn to love, respect and appreciate one another.”
Smith, who served as an airborne infantryman from 1966 to 1971 in the Vietnam War, was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Based in Springfield, Mo., Smith serves as executive director of Assemblies of God U.S. Missions.
He said he had nowhere to go after graduating high school. His single mother raised six children and couldn’t afford to send him to college, Smith said.
“The only hope I had was to get away,” he said, “and I envisioned myself being a great hero by going to war.”
Smith later served as a police officer and detective, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice and a master’s degree in business management.
“You know, you really don’t look for anything,” Smith told audience members about serving the U.S. military. “You’re just so glad to be able to say, ‘Thank you, dear God.’ ”
The congregation’s U.S. armed forces veterans were recognized in a video presentation. Ross, also a Vietnam War veteran, led the church in an a cappella version of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the original Vietnam War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will visit Blue Springs Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, 2010. The wall includes the names of more than 58,000 U.S. armed forces members who fought in the Vietnam War and died in service or are still unaccounted.
“The wall doesn’t paint the total picture of the Vietnam War,” said Ross, adding that many of the war’s veterans have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol and drug abuse and homelessness, “but we would do it again.”
Blue Springs resident and Blue Springs Assembly member D.L. “Shorty” Hamel served in the U.S. Army Reserves during the 1970s. Hamel said he and his wife were both impressed with Smith’s presentation Sunday, calling Smith “a class act.”
“I’m pretty passionate about the price of those who’ve served in times of war. All military people, especially those who serve in times of battle, sacrifice a lot,” Hamel said.
“I’m so elated today that our military today is treated with respect, not like the Vietnam War guys were. I’m grateful today that it’s a lot different than that.”
