Dozens of veterans were honored Sunday in Rothschild.
State Senator Jerry Petrowski, who is also a veteran, thanked
the men and women attending for their service.
One of those veterans was Julian Sonnentag, who served in the
Marines during the Vietnam War.
He made the decision to join the military 50 years ago.
"I just wanted to be there," said Sonnentag. "All through
high school I knew where I was going."
Sonnentag was 21 years old when he joined the Marines.
"My folks had me
going to college, like my older sister," said
Sonnentag. "I just told me dad no. I'm going. And he said I don't want
any tear drops on the letters coming home and so that's where I went, and I'm really glad I did."
The young marine was sent to Vietnam early in the war.
His time in Vietnam
came to an end abruptly after a cut lead to gangrene.
A few years ago Sonnentag retired from the service. But his
work with Veterans of Foreign Wars keeps him connected.
This Veterans Day ceremony was even more emotional for the Vietnam vet.
His wife was honored as a gold star mother, because of the
couple's son who died serving in Libya.
"You can feel sorry for yourself," said Sonnentag. "And
waste your life away. Or you can take your scars and move on for the rest of
your family. I run that over in my mind a thousand times."
Sonnentag endured many hardships and troubling times during
his military career. But the decision to serve our country
is one he says he'd never take back.
