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"It was the best thing that ever happened to me, except for getting married to my wife," he said. "I've been all over the world. If I had to do it over again, I'd spend another 20 years in the Army. That was my home." Mowl retired from the Army as a sergeant first class on June 1, 1986. In April 1966, Mowl shipped off to Vietnam for the first time. He spent 13 months there as a wireman in an artillery battery, waiting for news from home. Mail call was the most- tense and important part of the day when it came to soldiers' morale, he recalled. "If I didn't get a letter I was down, but the next day I would get two or three letters and it would pick me back up again," Mowl said. "The mail meant a lot to the guys out there." He learned to recognize the sound of a mail helicopter, he added, knowing that mail from home was potentially on its way to him. After serving two years of stateside duty, Mowl was called back to Vietnam, this time as a cook in an artillery battery in the 1st Cavalry Division. From August 1969 to August 1970, he made sure the troops in his field unit received two hot meals daily. He learned to cook with whatever supplies he could get, in any conditions. If a mess tent was set up, he said, it would be shot at by North Vietnamese soldiers. "Whatever came out on that Chinook when we got to a landing zone, we cooked up for them," Mowl said. "If we got 100 pounds of ground beef, they got a lot of chili mac, but we got them hot meals no matter what." The unit moved often, he said, and got hit a few times by fire from ground troops. Easter morning of 1970 stands out to Mowl. That day, he said, North Vietnamese troops overran his unit, destroying three artillery guns and killing 13 artillerymen. Mowl caught a piece of shrapnel in his leg during the fight. He was able to pull it out, and for that he counts himself incredibly lucky. "I didn't want a Purple Heart, because I figured there were guys that deserved it more than me, but they made me take it," he said. "I've got it. I don't display it too often, but I'm proud of it. I'd do it all over again." Mowl said he's proud to have served as long as he did - his service took him across the United States, to Korea and to Germany after the war in Vietnam ended. But his companions in combat never left him, he said. "We came to Vietnam as strangers, we left Vietnam as brothers," he said. "I made a lot of friends over there. The friendships made a lot of difference over there." Mowl said that if servicemembers today can keep the military ethos when they leave the service, they'll have no problem working in the civilian world. The things people learn in uniform are irreplaceable, he explained, and employers generally recognize the value of having a former soldier around. "Use your skills when you get on the outside," he said. "Remember the discipline. A lot of things are going on. If you keep that discipline in you when you're on the outside, you'll be a better man." Those who haven't served, he added, should keep in mind the sacrifices people are making daily, fighting in places most will never know to protect things that are taken for granted. "Support your troops. Support all military," Mowl said. "If it wasn't for them, you wouldn't be here. It's the same as the World War II vets - if it weren't for them, we'd be speaking German now."

Now, 26 years after retiring as a Navy commander, he looks back on his career fondly, even if he didn't expect to be a career sailor."At the time I went in, I didn't know if I was going to stay, but I ended up getting there and enjoying it and spent 20 years doing a lot of different jobs and having a good time," Harris said. Harris was here with his grandchildren, seeing the sights and touring the memorials on the National Mall. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial holds special significance, he said, because he spent 21 months in Vietnam during the mid-1960s. "The grandkids haven't been here before. That's why we're here today," Harris said. "They need to understand that a lot of people sacrificed a lot in the past for the fact that they have the freedoms they have today. They need to understand that these memorials are here for those people." Now a resident of Chocowinity, N.C., Harris said the Navy lived up to its old promise: Join the Navy and see the world. His career in the Navy's Supply Corps took him to Italy, Thailand and Japan, in addition to Vietnam. But it wasn't the variety of locales that made his career exciting, he said. Rather, it was the variety of tasks he was assigned. "It's an amazing experience to go out and do a lot of different things and get a lot of responsibility early in your career," he said. "My time in Vietnam is a case in point. I was a young [lieutenant junior grade] at the time over there, and I was running a lot of food service operations and feeding a lot of troops. You can't always do things like that as a civilian." Harris went to Vietnam twice - once aboard a ship on a six-month tour and once ashore for 15 months in 1966 and 1967. He was assigned to be a food service officer, something he'd never done before. Learning on the job can be harrowing for anyone, he noted, let alone having the responsibility of feeding thousands of hungry sailors in the Da Nang area and supplying forward operators near the demilitarized zone of the then-divided country. "I went over there with no experience in food service, but found out that you can run a food service organization letting the technical people handle a lot of the work, and I looked after the people and organization," he said. "It was interesting from that perspective." It was this aspect of the job -- being put into a place initially unfamiliar and forced to adapt -- that stuck with him, he said, noting that it helped him to appreciate the value of education. Today's servicemembers, he said, shouldn't take opportunities for education for granted and should appreciate the chances they get to learn. "The best thing I can tell people who are serving in the Navy right now is to do your job well, learn from your experience [and] advance," he said. "You can always study in the Navy and get better educated and get more diverse jobs, more responsible jobs, and move up the ladder. Be involved, and enjoy what you're doing." Though Harris said he didn't plan to do anything in particular on this year's Veterans Day, he keeps today's servicemembers in mind and hopes many veterans can come home safely to celebrate with him in the future. "We're mindful of the fact that there are still a lot of troops serving and a lot of people are dying, and we remember them at that time," he said. Harris said young people should consider the military as a viable career option. Although he didn't initially intend to spend 20 years in uniform, he said, he has no regrets about his decision to serve. As a parent and grandparent, he added, he encourages young people to look into ROTC or enlistment as, at the very least, a good first step in a career. Choosing a military career is "a very good way to go," Harris said. ("Veterans' Reflections" is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.) Nov. 18, 2010: By Ian Graham- Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

Giunta, then a specialist, was a 22-year-old rifle team leader serving in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team's Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, when insurgents attacked his squad in October 2007. When approaching insurgents formed an L-shaped ambush, splitting Giunta's squad into two groups, Giunta braved enemy fire to pull a squad member back to cover.President Barack Obama awarded Giunta the Medal of Honor yesterday in a White House ceremony. "The Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for valor, recognizes those who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry, intrepidity at risk of their lives above and beyond the call of duty," Gates said at the Hall of Heroes ceremony. "All too often, those who meet that high standard do so at the cost of their lives -- this has been especially true of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. So it is indeed an occasion of great thankfulness and celebration when we can welcome one of these warriors home." Giunta saved a second soldier while trying to connect with the other half of his squad. He saw two insurgents carrying off the second squad member and recovered him while shooting and killing one enemy fighter and wounding and driving off others. Giunta administered medical aid to the wounded soldier, but in spite of his efforts, the soldier died the next day during surgery. "While we can never fail or forget to honor the fallen," Gates said, "we also need living heroes -- heroes who overcame every fear, every obstacle, to inspire, to teach and ennoble us by what they have done. Heroes like Sal Giunta. "I say this because we're in the tenth year of a conflict fought on distant shores, waged by the few for the sake of the many," Gates continued. "A complex, and at times, a confusing struggle against enemies that lurk among the innocent, it is a conflict that lacks the traditional battle lines, clash of armies and clear-cut definition associated in the public mind with major wars." Yet the fundamental nature of war, Gates added, and the role of individual selflessness, initiative and courage do not change. Gates told Giunta he saw a television interview this week in which Giunta called himself "just a middleman representing all those who have served and sacrificed in Iraq and Afghanistan." "Sergeant, your modesty and your humility, together with valor, truly sets you apart," Gates said. "Though you call yourself 'mediocre,' you are clearly exceptional, even among the fellow warriors you so graciously extolled." More importantly, Gates told Giunta, "You are a living example, a reminder to America that there are heroes, modern heroes, who live and walk among us -- heroes who are still fighting and dying to protect us every day. "Your valor and courage for your comrades and the entire generation of warriors you so ably represent offers enduring hope for the future of our country," Gates said. Nov. 17, 2010: By Terri Moon Cronk- American Forces Press Service

But remembering veterans is something that some Americans do every day, especially those who fought side by side during times of war. Monuments and memorials around the nation's capital offer a chance to reminisce and to share their stories with families and friends. Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Roy Penman recently took advantage of that opportunity. He volunteered 30 years of his life to the military, fighting in Vietnam and deploying for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. "When I first joined the military in 1964, it was right in the middle of the draft, and I was 20 years old and afraid to get drafted, so I joined the Navy, a family tradition," he said. "Well, while I was in boot camp I was drafted by the Army. I spent four years in the Navy, three of [them] in Vietnam." Penman said he came under fire in both wars. "It was a scary situation," he said. "While I was in the Navy, we were offshore getting shelled by the Viet Cong, and there was no place to go. It's either stay on the ship or swim." For Penman, it wouldn't be the last time he would find himself in the line of fire. Years later, while serving in Operation Desert Storm, Penman said, "we were under scud attacks pretty regularly." After Vietnam, Penman switched to the Air Force and served at 12 different bases in 26 years before he retired. He spent the last 18 years of his Air Force career working as an F-15 avionics technician, and now works for the Air Force as a civilian. "Every airplane I've ever worked on is in a museum now, so I figured it was time for me to retire," Penman said. Penman said he enjoyed the military life and the job security that the armed forces provide. "All you have to do is keep your nose clean and re-enlist," he said. But job security wasn't his only motivation for his career of military service. "I guess you could call me a patriot, because I just love my country," Penman said. ("Veterans' Reflections" is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.) Nov. 17, 2010: By Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby- Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity