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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  Welcome home, veterans! Welcome home!

by Jared Field of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 6, 2009

Jared Field | The Michigan Catholic Richard Tschirhart (left), Tom Kennedy (center), and Frank Roche paid a visit to the war memorial in downtown Royal Oak on Monday. The three men are military veterans and members of the Knights of Columbus.

Royal Oak - As Americans prepare to celebrate Veterans Day on Wednesday, Frank Roche, a 24-year veteran of the United States Army, is reminded of a time when some failed to honor the sacrifices of those who served.

The Vietnam War era in the United States was tumultuous for American military men and women, at home and abroad.

Many sacrificed in silence, subdued by the shame heaped upon them by some who failed to celebrate their sacrifices.

"A lot of my friends, people that I knew, that went to Vietnam received a less than welcome reception when they came home," Roche said. "Today, when we see each other, we say 'welcome home,' even though it's been many years."

Veterans Day gives servicemen such as Roche the opportunity to reflect on the many sacrifices of time, energy and absence from family, friends and normality that were simply a part of the job.

Tom Kennedy, a member of St. Mary Parish in Royal Oak, says that disrespecting the sacrifices made by men and women in uniform belies an understanding of history.

"Internationally, we're not received with that much favor ... there's a foreign perception that perhaps we're 'bully boys' and shouldn't be where we are," said Kennedy, who served eight years in the Army National Guard. "I mean, we saved these countries back in those days."

Richard Tschirhart, a 26-year veteran of the United States Navy and member, along with Roche, of the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, says that if you've ever served at a Veterans hospital, you've seen the signs of great sacrifice for country up close.

"You see it there more than anyplace," he said. "You see the price that people have paid.

"It's like the old bumper sticker: Freedom isn't free."

Kennedy says he believes these very visible sacrifices, and the freedoms they have secured, have inspired common people to make this country great.

"It's the people who do all the work," he said. "It's the people who get up in the morning who don't feel very well, or have a hard time getting going ... but still they get out there and get the job done. This is what makes America great."

Worship wherever
Roche says he's celebrated Mass in a lot of strange places. To worship, wherever, is just a fact of life for a military man.

Roche said his service to country was strengthened by faith in God and His Church - and vice versa. And through it all, his faith remained at attention.

"There were times when I was on assignment with the military where I was out in the field in the middle of nowhere; there was no Catholic church, no building where you could go to worship," said Roche, 62, a retired Lt. Colonel who served during American conflicts in Vietnam and Desert Storm. "It was not a strange situation to have Mass in the back of a truck or whatever we could put together for an altar in the middle of nowhere. We'd pass our helmets for collection baskets.

"The camaraderie was strong. There was the basic belief that we were all there to worship; it was very strong, whether we were inside or outside - wherever we were. And it's true that wherever people come together, He is with us."

Tschirhart says that, no matter where the military takes you, you're never too far from your faith.

"Faith-based people are faith-based people no matter where they're at," said Tschirhart, who was stationed in Germany during Desert Storm.

Questions about faith in service remind Kennedy, 72, of an Army adage as old as the firing line.

"There's that old story about how there are no atheists in foxholes," he joked. "That about sums it up."

'Families are still sacrificing'
A lot has changed since the three friends were donning military duds. New technology has forever changed how wars are waged, the draft is a thing of the past and everyone has to be prepared to fight - and often for longer periods of time.

"There's no such thing anymore in the military as a place to hide ... everyone has to be combat ready," Tschirhart said. "Everybody in the military today is a different breed of cat."

"Previously, when you did your time, you were pretty much done," Roche added. "Now we see people going back for four and five tours ... that's a big change."

For all the big changes, a precious little, they say, has changed for families who support veterans and active duty military men and women.

Sacrifices are being made on a daily basis, ones that Roche can remember all too well.

"Certainly the military families are still sacrificing," said Roche, who missed out on his son's year in kindergarten while on active duty. "They sacrifice a lot. It's like a single-parent home; there's an absence there. It took my son six months to really get to know who I was. He kept asking my wife, 'who's that guy in the living room sitting on the couch? Is he supposed to be here?'"

'It's like enlisting all over again'
Joining ranks with the Knights of Columbus came naturally for Roche, who serves as the society's membership director for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Not only does the charitable group support many military causes, but it espouses principles of unity and patriotism that strike at the heart of what it means to serve God and country.

"When you're in the military, in a unit, you learn to work together as a team," said Roche, a Knight in Council 12408 since 1999. "You learn to take care of your brother when he's down; you help him out. There's always that underlying theme that we're all in this together. So, it's a natural."

Just this week, Roche recruited a new member for the Knights of Columbus, a former comrade he served with 20 years ago.

"He just looked at everything and said, 'Well, this is just an extension of what you and I used to do together, Frank.' I said, 'It certainly is.'

"It's like enlisting all over again."

Kennedy, currently a member of Council 2569 and St. Mary Parish in Royal Oak, has served the Knights since 1974. He says that his brothers are conscripts of kindness.

"I think people who join the Knights are really dedicated Christians who want to use the Knights as a tool, so to speak, to really help out their fellow man, no matter what situation, no matter what religion, denomination or whatever," Kennedy said. "They're caring, giving people. That's their motivation, and people like this are drawn to the Knights of Columbus."

The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal benefit society founded in 1882. The Knights offer mutual aid and assistance to families in need as well as the sick and disabled.

The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members in one council to more than 13,000 councils and 1.7 million members throughout the world.

For more information, visit kofc.org on the Internet.