World War II veteran Bob Jetton points to familiar faces along Main Street during the Veteran’s Day parade on Tuesday in Lincolnton.
American Legion Post 30 members share memories, fellowship at breakfast
ANNIE BLACKBURN
Staff Writer
Veterans from every branch of service, from World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, gathered together at the American Legion Post 30 building on North Aspen Street to fellowship and celebrate Veteran’s Day on Tuesday. The 8 a.m. breakfast has been a tradition longer than any of the veterans present could remember, but it is an event that they said they look forward to every year.
Among the younger faces at Tuesday’s event were members of the Lincolnton High School Key Club. Kate Queen, a junior, said that this was the club’s first year participating in the veterans breakfast.
“We wanted to do something in particular for the veterans,” Queen said. “We talked about putting (American) flags out in cemeteries, but we thought this was a more effective way to thank our veterans.”
American Legion National Executive Committeeman Bill Richard took a moment to address the gathering, thanking and acknowledging the dedication of the American solider. He began by asking for a show of hands of World War II veterans.
“You are my heroes,” Richard said. “Countries that have heroes should be envied. Countries that don’t should be pitied. We are blessed and everyone in here is a hero to me.”
Among those World War II veterans was Hubert Cliner. A 90-year-old Legionnaire, Cliner served in the Pacific Theater during the war.
He was motivated to enlist at the age of 17, just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but said that his mother wouldn’t allow it, so he waited to be drafted.
“I was drafted in 1943,” Cliner said. “But I didn’t go over there until 1945. I took basic training in Fort Knox, Kentucky in the Tank Corps, and went down to Arkansas.”
Cliner was a member of the 16th armored division in the 396th artillery battalion. He credited the foolish bravado of his 19-year-old self and a first sergeant for saving his life.
“I made a face at him, slammed the door and ran,” Cliner said. “When he got the 16th armored division ready to go overseas, we were five men over. He shipped five of us out and I was one that he shipped out.”
The 16th armored division was sent to join General George Patton’s 3rd army at the famous Battle of the Bulge, combat that Cliner would have seen had he not had a moment of insubordination.
“I saw one of my friends a year and a half later,” Cliner said. “He said (the division) had 92 percent casualties.”
Cliner ended up in Alaska, refueling planes to be sent to Russia, before he was finally sent to the Pacific theater in 1945. Cliner later went to a training position with the National Guard for troops in the Korean War. He currently serves as the commander and chaplain of the local Last Man Standing group. Every month, the surviving World War II veterans of Lincoln County meet up to reminisce and fellowship. The group was started several years ago and had 45 members, but is now down to 14. Among the tragic memories that war can bring, Cliner holds one very close to him.
“The memories that I have are of the total dedication of everybody in the country,” Cliner said. “The sacrifices that people at home made. I still have a stamp book that people had to have for sugar, meat, tires, gas, all that stuff. And then of course, the number of friends that I’ve made across the country, that kind of thing, but I think that’s the one time when the entire nation, almost down to the person, was focused on one thing, and that was freeing the world from people like Hitler and Mussolini and the Japanese emperor. The loss of life, that bothered me. I don’t know how many of my buddies that I trained with were killed. I never did find that out. I think that’s why Tom Brokaw called us the greatest generation, not just the ones in service, but everybody. The whole nation was the greatest generation. I’ve often said that if we’d had television back then we wouldn’t have won World War II. You don’t fight a war in living rooms.”
Blake Leonard, 6, with Boy Scout Troop 75, salutes during “Taps,” which concluded the post-Veteran’s Day parade ceremony held at the courthouse.
Images courtesy of Jaclyn Anthony / Lincoln Times-News