MITCHELL — Hundreds of veterans, their friends and families gathered Monday at the Davison County Fairgrounds during the local annual Veterans Day program to honor those who have served their country.

The veterans present had served in various conflicts over the years: World War II, the Vietnam War as well as conflicts in the Middle East and other military hotspots around the world. It was a time to remember their dedication to service and their country, and the event sponsored by American Legion Post 18, VFW Post 2750 and DAV Chapter 27 was an opportunity to recognize them all.

Steve Morgan, a longtime history teacher at Mitchell High School, dedicated his presentation to reflecting on a conflict in which none of the participants served, but which affected nearly everyone in the room of a one way or another. The American Civil War.

“My message would be that we never forget,” Morgan told the Mitchell Republic after his presentation. “May we never forget the men and women who came before us and who died for the protections and freedoms we have today. »

Morgan’s presentation focused on the aftermath of the Civil War, when Union and Confederate soldiers headed west to seek a new life in a newly reunited nation that had just ended the war the bloodiest in its history. As they settled into new homes on the American frontier, the slow process of healing began and veterans on both sides became an integral part of postwar culture.

Morgan noted that the process of moving into the future began immediately with the end of the war. There were no treason trials against individuals like Robert E. Lee or Jefferson Davis, two leading figures of the Confederacy. Soldiers from the South were allowed to reenter civilian society.

Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

As in any war, it was the soldiers who bore the brunt of the physical and emotional scars of this era. Although the Civil War was the first to incorporate a draft, the vast majority of those who went to the battlefield were volunteers.

“The Civil War was the first American war that resulted in a national draft. In this war, 90% of the soldiers who fought volunteered. Union soldiers entered military service as they do today, coming from all sorts of different backgrounds. Since the American Revolution, most of our military men and women have been volunteer soldiers,” Morgan said. “The Civil War called for more inexperienced soldiers, with more firepower and more individual responsibility in the decision to kill, in a more intimate, face-to-face combat strategy than many other wars of modern history.”

As bloody and divisive as the war was, its end was heralded by a concerted effort to reunify the country. The defeated South was brought back into the Union fold instead of being outright eliminated by the victorious North.

This approach led to a national reunification that a few years earlier must have seemed unimaginable.

“One of the most striking aspects of the American Civil War that makes it so exceptional is the fact that the victors, the Union, never eliminated the losers or the Confederates. In most civil wars that have taken place around the world, the conquerors have usually eliminated the vanquished, totally annihilating them. That’s not the case with the American Civil War,” Morgan said. “Confederates in their respective states were asked to return to the Union with restrictions, and rightly so. But the federal government has never adhered to a policy of cleansing or purifying the opposition. There was no policy of exile or banishment of losers. The federal government has never pursued a policy of genocide or mass execution of former Confederates or Southern sympathizers.

There were challenges to overcome. African Americans of the era suffered violent, sometimes deadly clashes, and in recent times citizens have questioned whether historic sites or military bases should be named after Confederate leaders and icons.

Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

Ultimately, the country remained a group of united states, not at war. The war highlighted the need for a national day of remembrance. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, grew out of the Civil War. Veterans Day, which began as Armistice Day, rose from the ashes of World War I.

Veterans of the war moved on with their lives, often living in locations far from the battle front, such as South Dakota. In Mitchell alone, several streets and townships are named after places and Civil War veterans, demonstrating that they contributed to the country’s history even after the violent episode.

Examples include Andrew W. Betts, who served in the Wisconsin Infantry and for whom Betts Road is named. Havens Avenue in Mitchell is named for William W. Havens, who served in the Illinois Infantry. Kibbee Park is named for Chalres H. Kibbee, who served in the Iowa Cavalry. Rowley Street in Mitchell is named for Edward Rowley, a former member of the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry.

In general, soldiers of the war, especially Union soldiers, helped keep the nation united, established Memorial Day, established military service pensions, established local communities, and to hold political office, to establish properties and businesses in the West, and to commit to a pledge of loyalty to the federal government.

They have all contributed to the modern community of Mitchell and South Dakota, Morgan said, and deserve recognition beyond the two holidays of the year set aside specifically for them.

“I think we owe our veterans gratitude more than twice a year,” Morgan said. “We owe them every day.”

A number of local veterans and auxiliary members were also honored during the program. These included:

• Rod Satrang – Named American Legion Post 18 Legionnaire of the Year.
• Thomas W. Oberembt – Named recipient of the VFW Post 2750 Veteran of the Year Award.
• Larry Loveland – Named recipient of the 40&8 Veteran of the Year award.
• Dean V. Strang – Received the DAV Chapter 27 Veteran of the Year award.
• Wanda Kobes – Named VFW Post 2750 Volunteer of the Year.
• Joshua Rasmussen – Named Full-Time Soldier of the Year.
• Riley Ferry – Named M-Day Soldier of the Year.
• Adolph Zoss, Art Escalante and Jim Schorzman received the Quilts of Valor Award.

Like those recognized Monday, veterans of all stripes deserve the country’s thanks and respect, Morgan said.

“Every day, American men and women sacrifice their lives for all of us. Every day, the men and women in service know that our nation’s security and our way of life are worth protecting,” Morgan told the audience. “We owe every veteran and every military family a huge thank you and a resounding exclamation: We will never forget what you had to endure and what it cost you to protect our country. »

Erik Kaufman joined the Mitchell Republic in July 2019 as an education and reporting reporter. He grew up in Freeman, SD, and graduated from Freeman High School. He graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1999 with a major in English and a minor in computer science. He can be contacted at [email protected].