On Veterans Day, local warriors share lessons from life and war

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The National WWII Museum in New Orleans observed this year’s Veterans Day by giving free admission Tuesday (Nov. 11) to U.S. veterans of all foreign wars. The museum and the city of New Orleans also held a ceremony honoring veterans.

One part of the ceremony recognized retired U.S. Marines Col. Terry Ebbert as the local Veteran of the Year. Ebbert served during the Vietnam War, and later as New Orleans’ city director of homeland security.

Speaking to fellow veterans and their families, Ebbert shared an important lesson of leadership he learned in the military. He said it’s a lesson that can apply to everyday life.

“Take care of your troops,” he said. “Without those troops, you’re nothing. When you do that, you have to lead from the front. Which means that you can’t order a Marine to die for their country. You can only ask them to follow you.”

Among the dozens of veterans attending Tuesday’s ceremony was a WWII veteran from New Orleans. At the National WWII Museum, Samuel Meyer is quite the celebrity. And it’s not because his family owns the famous New Orleans store Meyer the Hatter. Within the museum’s walls, it’s about his service during World War II, when he was a member of the 370th Fighter Group in the Ninth Air Force.

“I don’t like war at all,” Meyer said. “It’s a failure of diplomacy altogether. You have to go out and kill everybody, that’s ridiculous. I don’t like it, myself personally.”

The 101–year-old veteran said he has no problem posing for pictures and offering his thoughts on everything from the lessons of war to retirement.

“I have my sons and my grandsons in the shop and they’re all working each day. I only work three days a week. That’s enough,” Meyer said.

Asked why he still works at his age, Meyer laughed and said it “beats sitting in front of that stupid TV.”

In his more than a century of living, Meyer has seen many impressive changes. He says the speed with which information travels is among them.

“I think it’s one of the most fabulous things of living in this age. Instant communication around the world,” Meyer said.

But he says he’s disappointed with other changes he’s noticed.

“My grandfather was German. My grandmother was English, and my wife was French,” he said. “So, what does that make me? That makes me an American. And let me tell you, immigrants built this country. I want to tell it to any and everybody that draws a breath. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.”

Tom Ly, visiting from California, said, “I’m a veteran myself. I served for about 21 years.”

Ly is an immigrant and U.S. Air Force veteran from another generation, but holds a similar pride for country as Meyer.

Ly immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1979. He said he made sure his family’s trip to New Orleans included a visit to the museum on Veterans Day.

“It’s important for them to see it,” Ly said. “I appreciate it, because we’re immigrants, coming here when I was very young. So, I understand the importance of giving back to this country, and I wanted them to feel the same.”

As the nation paused to pay tribute to its warriors, Meyer said he wants us to remember that if veterans of different stripes can fight for one flag, perhaps the rest of the country can, too.

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