UNION, NJ — In honor of Veterans Day, the Union Public Library’s Vauxhall Branch hosted a Vietnam Veterans Panel on Saturday, Nov. 8. Four veterans – Michael Jones, Edward Batten, Fred Mulligan and Robert Johnsen – shared their stories and reflections in honor of their services.
Gabriel Ramos, Vauxhall Library Branch manager, introduced the program and the library’s new BrainFuse VetNow program, designed to help veterans access Veterans Affairs services and learn more about their benefits.
Mayor James Bowser said, “It’s an honor. Together, we can share our gratitude as stories are passed down from generations.”
Union County Commissioner Sergio Granados thanked the veterans for their service.
Sen. Joe Cryan said, “Isn’t it an honor to be in the company of local heroes? They fought at a time when they weren’t welcomed home properly. Never forget.”
Ramos began the panel by asking the veterans about basic training.
Batten said, “I loved it. I loved serving in the Air Force and camaraderie with brothers in service.”
Jones said, “Discipline was very strict. After basic training, it was a breeze.”
Mulligan thought basic training was a piece of cake because he trained hard in summer camp and was used to it. He said, “Those who had no discipline were crying, ‘I want to commit suicide.’ For me, it was like going to camp. I enjoyed it.”
A library patron asked the veterans about the draft.
Jones said, “For me, it was a responsibility. I wasn’t going to tell anybody I wasn’t going. At 17, I just finished high school. I hadn’t had a job yet. Being drafted made my decision real easy. Options available didn’t do me any good. I wasn’t leaving home, going to Canada. I wasn’t doing anything illegal.”
Johnsen said, “It was a completely different time. We wanted to serve our country. That was the patriotic thing to do.”
Another library patron wondered what was on their minds when they were ordered to Vietnam.
Jones said, “It’s a whole other world. It’s unexplainable.”
Batten said, “My own mom, she was proud of me, but she was concerned what may happen later on, that I may not return home. A number of my brothers and sisters – they did not come home. It was, and still is, an emotional experience.”
A library patron asked how their friends felt when they returned from Vietnam.
Batten said he was angry. A psychiatrist told him he has post-traumatic stress disorder. While given tools to cope, you can’t cure PTSD.
“I don’t want to forget,” he said. “I was angry and sad. And I still do a lot of crying from time to time.”
When an attendee commented, “All heroes don’t wear capes,” Batten responded that he never thought of himself as being a hero.
Batten said, “I’m a survivor, continuing to learn to survive. We all are survivors. In the ditches and swamps. In the aircrafts that flew over. We were all survivors. Our families are the heroes. I will continue to encourage people to be kind and considerate to veterans and their family, not just on Veteran’s Day. I still have my dog tag. I was looking at it the other night.”
Ramos asked the veterans if they had any advice they could pass on.
Jones said, “Military has the greatest options going, if you’re looking for an education. Benefits are good. Pay is a lot better than it used to be.”
To learn more about Union Public Library and the Vauxhall Branch, visit: https://uplnj.org/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
