ABC50 presents Veterans Voices

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) – WWTI ABC50 is proud to present our annual Veterans Voices special where we tell the stories about Northern and Central New Yorkers who have served our country.

Claude Williams, Vietnam Veteran

We profile Claude Williams, who served during the Vietnam War. Williams served as a teenager during one of the most challenging times in the nation's history. He keeps that history alive by telling his story. Williams talks about his time in Southeast Asia, where he helped run nighttime surveillance.

He shares a plethora of pictures and memories from his time in Vietnam. Williams also talks about the rough time he had when he came back to the north country from the war. He graduated from St. Lawrence University and served in law enforcement after his career in the military.

Honor Flight Mission 21

We take a look at a tradition to that celebrates our nation's heroes. The emotions touch deep from the moment Honor Flight Syracuse, carrying 82 veterans, touches down in Washington, DC. It begins with a greeting of gratitude the moment local veterans and their families come off the plane. Seven monuments and memorials are visited on this journey that unlocks and creates memories.

WWII Veteran, Calvin Sheckler

There are a number of area veterans that served during World War II and the D-Day invasion of France. The 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings was this year and each passing year sees these fighting men pass away.

We take a look at 101-year-old veteran Calvin Sheckler, who's life was nearly cut short in his early 20s when he fell ill during an army training. Calvin recalls how he arrived on Omaha beach in Normandy, weeks after D-Day. He was a Master Sergeant and technical expert on a US Army Signal Corps team. His position was on the technical side, his small team was responsible for repairing a telegraph cable stretching across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Germany.

The repairs were needed so communication from the nation' capital could be sent to the front lines in France. Calvin and his team spent around a month working around the clock to repair the important connection. Calvin met and married the love of his life, Marjorie, after his career in the service. They had 11 children and raised them on a farmhouse in Cato they bought in 1949.

Mail Call

We take another trip with Honor Flight. It's a chance to thank those that never received a warm welcome home when they returned from war. An number of volunteers make sure every detail is handled on these trips. Letters known as mail call are written by spouses, children and even admiring strangers, filling pages with love, gratitude, and admiration for their service. Weedsport High School students are among the authors, writing hundreds of cards to the heroes they have never met. The Mail Call often leaves the veterans speechless, proving sometimes the most profound words don't need to be spoken.

ABC50 is pleased to have brought you this special and is grateful to all those who served. Thank you to our veterans.