- May 5, 2024
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‘I’m amazed at the diversity of the Army.’
When you see a veteran, thank him for his service, said Rabbi Howard Schwartz, a retired U.S. Army chaplain.
“That means so much to all of us,” he said.
Schwartz will be the guest speaker at the city’s Veterans Day Celebration on Nov. 10, which includes dinner and entertainment at the Senior Center Ballroom, 351 Andrews Street.
The event is normally sold out, according to a city spokeswoman, but reservations can be made until 4 p.m. on Nov. 6, if seats are available. For information, call 676-3241. Veterans are admitted free and tickets are $7 for others.
Schwartz served four years in the Air Force, beginning in 1960, and when he got out, he wanted to attend seminary and reenlist so he could be a chaplain. When he was stationed in New Hampshire, there was only one other Jewish person in the unit, and they held services together. There was no Jewish chaplain.
“I wanted to fill that void,” he said.
But, his first wife was totally opposed to him going back in.
“She said, ‘Over my dead body,’” he said.
So, it was 20 years later, many years after he had attended seminary at Hebrew Union College — Jewish Institute of Religion that he reenlisted, this time in the U.S. Army because the Air Force would not let him because of his age.
He then served as a chaplain for 16 years.
He was assigned as a chaplain for a unit and worked with people of all faiths. He said the military is a good example of how people from diverse backgrounds can get along and work together.
On Holy days, each soldier would attend a service for their own faith. But as chaplain, he would help them through hard times and offer counseling and support.
He remembers a soldier who had a child back home that died.
“I spent time sitting with him and helping him through those days,” he said.
He said it was great experience to become friends with all of the other chaplains.
“I loved it,” he said.
He said he remembers when the Army brought in the first Muslim chaplain. The commanding officer asked him to meet with the other chaplains and tell them the tenets of the religion.
“I’m still amazed at the diversity of the Army and how we all pull together and get along,” he said.
He said things today are much better for veterans than in the past. He is chaplain for Volusia County Veterans Council, which meets monthly with veteran organizations. They have helped many vets get housing and get on their feet, he said.
Conditions today are much better than in the 1960s, Vietnam era, when returning soldiers were not shown appreciation, he said.
Memorial Art Museum plans Veterans Day tribute.
A former member of the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam will be the guest speaker Nov. 11 at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum’s annual Veterans Day tribute. Susan Bergman will be one of the speakers for the 11 a.m. event under a tent in the parking lot at the south end of the museum and gardens, 78 E. Granada Blvd.
Entertainment will be provided by the Bethune-Cookman University tuba and euphonium ensemble. Light refreshments will be available inside the museum after the tribute.
Parking will be available in lots at St. James Episcopal Church and The Casements.
