Warren honors military heroes

WARREN — The city of Warren had its first veterans celebration Nov. 15 at City Hall in the first-floor conference room where more than 100 veterans and their family members gathered to honor those who served in all branches of the military.

The Honoring Heroes with Harmony-Brass and Breakfast event saluted veterans from World War II to Operation Enduring Freedom. The event combined members of the Warren Symphony Orchestra’s brass section who played patriotic tunes, marches and wartime music after those in attendance enjoyed breakfast.

Warren Mayor Lori Stone’s office coordinated the event. The mayor opened and closed the program thanking the veterans who so graciously fought and served to protect the freedoms Americans hold dear.

“As we remember the immense contribution you have made to our nation, President Harry S. Truman once said, ‘Our debt to these heroic men and valiant women in service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices,’” Stone said. “These words remind us of our eternal debt to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way.”

The music selections included the “Theme from Superman (Main Title),” the “Theme from Star Trek,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” John Philip Sousa’s “Washington Post March,” Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis March,” and the “Hymn to the Fallen” from Saving Private Ryan.

Andrew Neer, the music director and conductor of the Warren Symphony Orchestra, joined the brass section and played the trumpet. He is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve and was the only person at the event who identified themselves as currently serving in the military.

Also in attendance was a World War II veteran who served three years in the U.S. Army Air Corps. George Flaig, 100, a Warren resident for more than 63 years, said, “It’s great having them (the veterans) all together. I haven’t seen anybody else from World War II. Every day there’s less and less of them.”

Most of those in attendance appeared to be in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Maurice Kelly, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, appeared to be in his 30s and was the youngest veteran there. The Mott High School graduate served four years.

“I want to get more involved in the community and be a positive example from the place I am from,” Kelly said.

Kelly is currently working in construction and looking for opportunities to launch his creative ideas in the field to help veterans, those with disabilities and the elderly.

Nonveterans were also in attendance to honor those who served. Peter Kortebein, of Warren, did not serve in the military but his father, brother and uncles did.

“I came to honor the veterans, in many cases they gave their lives,” he said.

The veterans in his family could not attend because they are either deceased or live out of state.

A woman in attendance stood up and addressed the audience and said that the spouses of those in the military should be recognized, which received a rousing round of applause. One of the few women veterans in attendance was Diana Laskey. In addition to her service in the military, she was a military wife before her husband retired after 25 years of service. She also grew up a military kid.

“I was in a maintenance career field, so I mainly served with men,” Laskey said about her time in the Air Force. “I learned so many things that I never would have known anything about.”

Laskey built 1,000-pound bombs and maintained ammunition.

“I was a woman in a man’s career field, in the military,” she said. “It was just awesome. I loved it.”

As a military wife with military experience there were things she learned not to share with her husband, particularly when he was deployed or on a mission. According to Laskey, if the kids were struggling to adjust, or there were money challenges, or the pipes burst, she would not tell her husband until he came home.

“It (having military experience) really, really helped because I understood, and I knew the culture, and I knew a lot of deployments are longer than they’re supposed to be,” Laskey said. “But not knowing the resources is a huge issue.”

Today, Laskey is a licensed social worker who connects veterans with their eligible benefits. She said veterans who want to access these resources should call their veteran navigator, available in each county. Veterans can go to the state of Michigan’s website to find their county’s veteran navigator.

Veterans should have their DD214 separation papers available when they inquire about services or benefits.

“They will need that (DD214 papers) for everything. If they don’t know where it is or family members don’t know where it is, they will need to get another copy,” Laskey said.

The navigator can help with that.

Laskey is a veterans and military families navigator in Macomb County. She can be contacted at (586) 200-7888 or by email at diana.laskey@mccmh.net.