July 4, 2008 - Leroy Loyd’s face adopts a demure smile when he confesses that today, along with it being Independence Day, is also his birthday.

"Yep," jokes the Korean War veteran, "we celebrate the birth of the nation and the birth of me."

Loyd and about a dozen other members of veterans organizations gathered at the Iredell Memorial Gardens cemetery Thursday afternoon to help say goodbye to fellow former comrade in arms Henderson Hairston.

Loyd, who spent 18 months on the battlefields of Korea, says that, in a way, he was born to be a champion for and defender of the United States.

"I think that fighting in war is humbling," he said. "And it builds a deep pride for our country and a great respect."

He believes the Fourth of July is a day of unity for all Americans.

"It’s the day we all come together, hopefully as a people, and reflect back on the price that has been paid to preserve our way of life."

And Loyd, who was shot in the leg during combat, has little tolerance for those who speak ill of his homeland.

"I’d like to ship ’em all out, is what I’d like to do," he said.
And Mike Keller could not agree more.

"I feel very ill when I hear people bad-mouthing the country," said Keller, an Army veteran who did two abbreviated tours in Vietnam and was also injured in combat. "When you actually spill a little blood for your country, it kind of gets to you when you hear and see people being disrespectful to it. It can really rub you the wrong way."

Keller said serving in the military is the highest form of patriotism.

"I know people, like politicians and others, serve the country and show their patriotism in different ways," he said. "But there is a difference between serving your country and being willing to die for it."

When Keller hears of those who looked for ways to avoid service, he cringes a little.

"Let’s put it this way: If you don’t go when the nation needs you the most," Keller said, "well that’s a black mark against you in my book."

Bob Vandiver put 28 years in the Navy. He joined shortly after the Korean War ended and got out in the mid-1980s.

He said he doesn’t agree with the current leadership in the nation but he still "would die defending" it.

"I think they aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing for all the people here," he said. "But I’d put bare arms tomorrow to defend her. I’d go back in if I wasn’t so old and they’d take me."

Vandiver said he has been to many countries around the world and that it has only made him appreciate the U.S. even more.
"I’ve been everywhere else," he said. "And it’s nice to visit, but you’re always glad to get back home. That’s what the Fourth of July means to me."

Morris Roseman believes that kind of patriotism is getting to a point of short supply.

"I think we need more Fourth of Julys," said Roseman, who spent the better part of two years in theater during the Korean War. "I think we are gradually losing our patriotism. I think we’re losing track of where we came from."

But Steve Rodgerson remembers. He remembers all too well.
The Army veteran fought in Vietnam in parts of 1968 and 1969 and says while he is proud of his service, he also can get saddened by events that took place during it.

"The Fourth of July is a great celebration of our freedom," he said. "But I group it with Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and it usually gets me to think about a good friend of mine who was killed nine days before we were due to ship out."

Whitfield Byers can relate to those kinds of memories.
Byers served in Pacific during World War II and says he is not sure war is worth it.

"In World War II, there was a lot of young lives lost," he said. "I’m proud of the United States, and I’m proud to have served. But all those young men who died - it’s just sad."

Byers believes Independence Day should be a time of contemplation about those lost lives.

"I know it’s a time of celebration, but we should not forget those who sacrificed their lives," he said. "It’s really something to think about."