This interview took place on September 11.
Twenty-five years after the attacks that changed the country, I sat across from two Vietnam veterans at Milford’s American Legion.
For me, September 11 is a horrifying chapter in history, something I learned about through photographs, stories, and memories of those who were there. For them, September 11 is something different. It is a day etched into their minds, a day they do not simply remember because they read about it, but because they lived through its aftermath. They have no choice but to remember.
“Never forget. Always remember.”
That was how Tom Jackson described what September 11 means to him.
As our conversation continued, those words came to mean more than a promise to remember. They spoke to something veterans understand better than most: the responsibility of remembering the people who came before us, the sacrifices they made, and the experiences that shaped the country we inherited, even when we were not there to witness them ourselves.
Jackson was 18 when he joined the Marine Corps in 1966, inspired by watching Marines serve in Vietnam on television.
“I joined the Marine Corps in 1966, and that was the first war that was televised,” he explained. “I was watching all these Marines over in Vietnam, and I thought, ‘Man, this is what I want to do. I want to do this.’”
So he did. He spent three years in the Marines, including 11 months in Vietnam.
His best friend, Bill Battaglia, served three years and three months in the Navy. He enlisted at just 17, when the Vietnam draft was a reality for young men graduating high school.
Neither could have known what those decisions would mean for the rest of their lives.
Decades later, their paths have brought them together, this time at American Legion Post 196, carrying with them the memories of a war and experiences that have stayed with them for a lifetime.
For Tom and Bill, the Legion has become something of a second home. Those four walls provide a sense of comfort and familiarity that many veterans long for. The bar holds the laughter, the walls, plastered with awards, photographs, and memorabilia, hold the weight of sacrifices made, and the tables hold stories that have been passed down for decades. It is a place where memories are shared freely, where old friends can laugh about the past and where experiences that are difficult to explain anywhere else need no explanation. Often, the stories shared there are understood only by the people sitting across the table.
“This place is the door to freedom for a lot of veterans,” Jackson said. “They sit at home and they can’t really describe what happened to them…people just don’t understand them. So they come here, and they have a chance to, not just unload, but to share different stories.”
That word, share, is what the Legion is all about: a place where veterans can share their stories, but also find out what is available to them now. Veterans can connect with other veterans, learn about programs through the Veterans Affairs (VA), participate in the community events, and find people who already understand a piece of their story.
“This is a family. It’s why Veteran’s Day is so important,” Battaglia said. “That day is a day of remembrance, a day you are going to spend with the comrades that understand your story.”
That family includes more than the veterans themselves. Milford’s Legion has an auxiliary of roughly 230 women, as well as Sons of the American Legion members who join to honor veterans in their families. The post also works throughout the year on programs that reach far beyond its walls.
The post's work extends beyond veterans, too. Members organize community events, sponsor local baseball teams, and support youth programs such as the American Legion oratorical contest.
Chartered in 1964, the post has been a gathering place for Milford veterans and their families for more than 60 years. The Legion also participates in events and ceremonies throughout the year, including the celebrations and remembrance activities surrounding Veterans Day.
For the veterans we spoke with, the meaning of the holiday goes beyond a date on the calendar. It is a chance to remember, to say thank you, and to listen.
For me, sitting across from two Vietnam veterans on September 11, that felt especially meaningful.
I was born into the aftermath of the world they had already spent decades serving. I cannot remember September 11 firsthand. I cannot remember Vietnam. I cannot know what it was like to be 17 or 18 years old and leave home for a war.
But I can listen.
History is not always something written in books. Sometimes, it is sitting across the room for you, waiting to be heard.
”This place is the door to freedom for a lot of veterans…They sit at home and they can’t really describe what happened to them…So they come here, and they have a chance to, not just unload, but to share different stories.”