In honor of Veterans Day, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is recognizing five local veterans. Below, former servicemen and women share their memories of service and the ways in which they would like to see that service honored.
Sarita Dyer, 55, McDonough
Army, 28 years of service.
Ranks: Sergeant Major — E-9; Sergeant Major, force protection during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom; Female Engagement Team officer in charge during Operation Enduring Freedom Aug. 2012 to Feb. 2013 — Afghanistan; Army Congressional Fellow (military advisor for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York); legislative liaison for Secretary of the Army — 2015-2016; first sergeant, 29th Support Group, Kaiserslautern Germany — 2006 to 2008; senior drill sergeant for initial entry training, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri — 2001-2004.
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
Were you deployed during a conflict?
Operation Desert Storm — 1991; Implementation Force (IFOR), Bosnia-Herzegovina — 1995-1996; Operation Iraqi Freedom; Operation New Dawn; Operation Enduring Freedom.
What are some memories that stand out to you about your service?
During September 2001, I was a drill sergeant preparing to graduate a class of initial entry trainees when the attack happened. Later, I went on to train over 3,000 trainees with three years as a drill sergeant. (I also recall) serving as a Congressional Fellow for U.S. Sen. Gillibrand where I had the opportunity to see “how the sausage is made.” I was afforded the opportunity to walk an amendment to the floor of the U.S. Capitol. (Another thing I’m proud of is) achieving the rank of sergeant major — only 1% of the Army achieve the rank of sergeant major.
How do your family and friends honor your service, and/or how do you yourself acknowledge your service?
My family honors my service by continuing to serve. I am currently running for Henry County Commissioner for District 3. My family helps on the campaign. My daughter is a fire firefighter in Dekalb, my son is an infantry officer in the Army, and my husband is my biggest supporter, both mentally and spiritually.
Q: What would you like your community to know about how to acknowledge veterans or anniversaries of key events in major conflicts?
To acknowledge female veterans and their contribution to the freedoms of America. I would like to start by providing ... a new Veterans Affairs Motto. The old one read “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and his widow and his orphan.” I want to make the word “his” gender neutral to make us feel inclusive. (I’d also like to) make Women Veterans Day a federal recognition, not just state by state.
Herman Anderson, 77, East Cobb County
Air Force for four years: August 1964 to August 1968.
Rank: Sergeant
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
Were you deployed during a conflict?
I was deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict for one year: June 1966 to June 1967.
How do your family and friends honor your service, and/or how do you yourself acknowledge your service?
The Vietnam Conflict was not a popular war. Therefore, Vietnam-era veterans are just now — at this time — getting their recognition. My family is very proud of my service. They talk about it more than I do.
What would you like your community to know about how to acknowledge veterans or anniversaries of key events in major conflicts?
I would like the community to understand veterans and their families paid a price for our freedom. Freedom is not free. Therefore, the celebration and observance of our military recognition days are good to educate and inform.
Pete Mecca, 75, St. Augustine, Florida (previously of Conyers)
Air Force intelligence for four years, including 30 months in Vietnam.
Rank: Sergeant
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
Were you deployed during a conflict?
(During the Vietnam War, I was in) Nakhon Phanom for 18 months interdicting the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon, Vietnam, for 12 months with a recon outfit.
What are some memories that stand out to you about your service?
(I remember being) 29 years old flying on B-52 bombers out of McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida, and plotting nuclear missions, then, 30 months in Vietnam interdicting the Ho Chi Minh Trail (The Blood Road) in a war nobody claimed was raging, plus plotting the recon missions for the Cambodian Invasion … I don’t think we can cover all my memories, some of which I will not discuss.
How do your family and friends honor your service, and/or how do you yourself acknowledge your service?
My parents are gone. Dad was a WWII combat veteran. Mom worked at a defense plant. They were proud of my service, but Vietnam vets weren’t treated well when we came home. We’ve seen our legacy morph from being “baby killers” to “heroes.” We were neither. We were just another generation who answered their call to duty and did the best we could under impossible rules of engagement. I make (veteran-focused) presentations all over Georgia, write a newspaper article called “A Veteran’s Story,” have a radio Zoom show out of Pittsburg, have served as commander of the Atlanta World War II Roundtable, am a member of the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, and a few more. I have two books published and am working on three more.
Percy Molette, 75, DeKalb County
Four years in the Air Force; 21 years in Marine Corps.
Rank: Airman First Class; Master Sergeant — E-8
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
Were you deployed during a conflict?
I spent a year in Vietnam, (and I) flew a lot of combat flights … I was married then, so I was worried more about my wife while I was gone.
What are some memories that stand out to you about your service?
The biggest thing about the Marine Corps was I needed a lot of discipline because I took everything as being something, but not that big a deal. The Marine Corps was hard — in order to get the work that you’re doing, you have to, sort of, take everything seriously … I was crazy about it. It was good for me. It was a lot of discipline … I met my wife (the late Myrna Molette) when I was in London (in the Air Force). She was from Barbados … I was (in London) for about three years. And then, when I got ready to leave, I’d been seeing her for the whole time that I was over there, and she was just as sweet as she wanted to be, and I asked her would she marry me, and she said she would.
Diane Sherman, 66, Marietta
Army from December 1975 to February 1991
Rank: Sergeant First Class — E-7
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
What are some memories that stand out to you about your service?
I am a performer … I did well as far as my ranks and my service and accelerating so that always made me pretty happy … I met my husband (Jerald Sherman) in the military who is a retired E-9, Sergeant Major — he served 27 years. My first overseas assignment was actually in the country of Panama, and that’s where we met in ‘78 … I was able to get up to my master’s degree while I was still on active duty; we traveled extensively in Europe and South America … I don’t think I would’ve ever experienced, culturally, all the different countries and cultures had I not joined the military … It really set my compass in life, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
How do your family and friends honor your service, and/or how do you yourself acknowledge your service?
Among my colleagues with (the metro Atlanta-based networking group Georgia Military Women), we are very supportive of one another … (It’s) just trusting that they would have my back and that I would have theirs when it comes to recommendations or social events or supporting one another.
What would you like your community to know about how to acknowledge veterans or anniversaries of key events in major conflicts?
It’s much deeper than “thank you for your service,” even though I think it’s a kind, respectful thing to say. There are people who may be curious, but not all veterans want to talk about what our military service was … I think the community needs to be respectful that if somebody doesn’t want to talk about something, that it’s not personal. It could be an emotional protective factor.
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