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Baird, Rounds speak to freedom’s service, sacrifice
Noting that it was established during the Vietnam War, it was purposeful to Kevin Rounds that South Putnam High School’s colors became red, white and blue and its mascot an eagle.
Speaking to a convocation of students Monday morning, Rounds and fellow veteran U.S. Congressman Jim Baird advocated that being an engaged American citizen, and further honoring the sacrifices made on behalf of freedom, are woven into that fabric.
Kallie Pastore, a South Putnam student-athlete and a reservist in the United States Air Force, also led the Pledge of Allegiance, while the trombone trio performed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “Taps” was also played.
The program had originally been scheduled for Nov. 13, the Monday following Veterans Day, but was postponed when Baird had business in Washington, D.C.
Baird, himself a Vietnam veteran who earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart in that conflict, aimed at the fundamentals of why Veterans Day is celebrated. In his opinion, he said, this opportunity was a time for reflection.
“Veterans Day does not have an apostrophe in it,” Baird emphasized. “If you put an apostrophe in it, if you think about grammar, then that means veterans are the only ones who own it.”
To that, he said all Americans own the day to pay respect to those who have made those sacrifices, and to appreciate the freedoms that have been fought for here and across the world.
Baird attended Turkey Run High School, apart from growing up on a farm, and then graduated from Purdue University with degrees in animal science. Ultimately, he was drafted to serve his country. He lost his left arm later after a firefight.
“I want you to know, that I’m not bitter about that,” Baird said. “I learned a lot about myself in combat. I learned the kind of individual I am. I know what I stand for, what I will and won’t do.”
For his part, Baird was inspired by the commitment of the young men who served in combat during his war. This sacrifice, he said, deserves to be remembered, especially in the context of conflicts now going on elsewhere.
Stopping short of condemning socialism as a political system, he related seeing good people in Vietnam who chafed under a dictatorship. To that, he suggested, freedom cannot be taken for granted.
“I think it’s important, as the younger generation coming along, that you use your mind,” Baird summed up, “and use the education that you’re getting here now to really study what’s going on around the world, and how that impacts you.”
Now South Putnam Middle School’s assistant principal, Rounds closed the convocation with remarks as an Air Force veteran himself.
His enlistment began in September 2000, and he was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, S.D. He was with the 28th Bomb Wing on a peacekeeping mission in May 2001. The following September, everything changed.
“We went from peacetime to wartime in the flick of a switch,” Rounds recalled.
Rounds’ two grandfathers served during World War II, while an uncle went to Vietnam. The stories they told him about their experiences rushed back to him after things got busy, as he said.
“It was just that simple. The call of duty was there, and they went,” Rounds said about his relatives’ answering as such. “I think back to that day in September (2001) and realize it’s the same call that many men and women have had.”
Rounds did not see much conflict on his three deployments after that day, but his duty, nonetheless, was supporting troops on the ground. When it came down to it, he related, service adds to a long legacy of preserving freedom.
“Don’t take those things for granted,” Rounds concluded. “Continue to strive for greatness. Continue to do the things that us as Americans stand for. It goes for everybody, all across the world.”