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| Stuart Moring in the gray suit standing beside his wife, my sister, Gay, holding the proclamation about him and his military service during the Vietnam War. |
It was a proud moment when the city of Roswell, Georgia, where Stu served for twenty years or more as Public Works Director, recognized him as an Outstanding Veteran of Roswell on Monday night at a meeting at the courthouse.
A proclamation about his achievements was read and then presented to him as you see in the above photograph.
Stu comes from a family that made service to the country a big part of their lives. His father Walt and his brother Doug as well as his sister-in-law Mary, all wore military uniforms.
After he completed undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois, Stu joined the United States Navy. His education as an engineer made him very useful as a member of the the Seabees. He was sent to Vietnam in 1972 where he was made responsible for large projects requiring building and rebuilding bridges, roads, and other things often destroyed by the enemy. When his tour was over and he came home, he, in his twenties, was then sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to be in charge of 150 men. His leadership qualities were strong even then.
As veterans of the Vietnam War, the young men came home to no large welcome or parades thanking them for their service. No one ever said thank you to Stu and others who risked their lives fulfilling their duties for the United States. These young men did not create the war nor were they able to end it. Only those in Washington D.C. could do that. But when these veterans came home they were often shamed and belittled.
That is why Monday night was a very special event. The City Council of Roswell made a point to thank Stu for his service in Vietnam as they have done for some others. How sad that it took fifty years for someone to do that, but how grateful I am that they did and I was there to see and celebrate with this fine man. I also delighted in hearing others exclaim about all he has done for the city of Roswell. He retired a few years ago, but many councilmen and women shook his hand and greeted him warmly. Even those who were not on the Council before he retired. said they continue to hear about Stu Moring.
People like me have no idea what engineers do and how they do it and they might think that hearing him talk about problems he solved, the difficulties he faced, and the confidence he had to have in himself to accomplish hard tasks would be boring, but it is not.
Stu has led an interesting life and one that is a good example for others. I have urged him to write a memoir and share his story. Maybe one day he will decide to do that.
Do you have family members who served in Viet Nam? Do you know how they feel about how they were treated when they came home?
