Vets feel new
appreciation
Sept. 11 attacks, overseas war
stir a resurgence of patriotism
|
Sherrie Buzby/The Arizona
Republic
|
Barry
Prowell was hit by a rocket in 1969 in Vietnam. People recently have been
thanking him for his sacrifice.
|
By Charles Kelly
The Arizona
Republic
Nov. 11, 2001 12:00:00
Former Army Sgt. Barry Prowell, 54, carries the scars of sacrifice. He wears
a prosthesis where his right arm used to be, his left cheek is numb, and a tiny
transmitter stuck to a magnet in his scalp aids the cochlear implant that
restored some of his hearing.
The sacrifice he made seems to matter more to his fellow Americans now,
Prowell says. He is one of several Arizona veterans who say this Veterans Day
marks a time when service to country has regained its hold on America's heart.
On Oct. 19, 1969, he was caught in a North Vietnamese army ambush near
Kontum in north-central South Vietnam.
He was struck by a rocket that broke his jaw, ripped open his left cheek,
tore his right forearm to shreds, peppered his skull with shrapnel and
temporarily paralyzed the left side of his face.
As a Vietnam vet, he is one of a long line of Prowells to serve in the
military, going back as far as Col. William Prowell, who fought in the
Revolutionary War.
Prowell said Veterans Day had always meant a lot in his family and in the
blue-collar community where he grew up in Enola, Pa. But this year, since the
Sept. 11 attacks and the start of America's war on terrorism, he believes the
nation's support for veterans is higher than it has been in decades.
"Since September 11, I've been thanked personally by more people for my
contribution (to America) . . . than I have been in 30 years," said Prowell, a
manager at Information Network Corp., a Phoenix software company.
Web Page Created 21 Dec 2001
©2001 Charles Kelly
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