Pictured, from left are David Chamlee, Melody Lutz, Royd Lutz and Tom Smith at a Veterans Day event Monday at Pickens Presbyterian Church.

By Lynda Abegg
For The Courier

news@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — Pickens Presbyterian Church was buzzing with preparations to honor the veterans of Pickens County on Monday, ahead of Wednesday’s nationwide Veterans Day celebration.

A group of volunteers had been preparing breakfast since 6:30 a.m., the ladies from the Daughters of the American Revolution were hanging a Vietnam commemorative flag, and other volunteers set the tables with placemats and napkins.

The Fort Prince George Chapter of the DAR joined with Pickens Presbyterian Church to thank and honor veterans from Pickens County. Marianne Holland, Ph.D., was there to play a medley of service songs for the veterans.

Tom Smith, a Navy veteran, who has been coordinating the breakfast for eight years, looked over the room filled with more than 85 attendees. He said he enjoyed seeing the families, especially the ones who brought their children and grandchildren.

“Children always look to comic-book heroes like Batman and Superman,” Smith said, “while the real heroes and role models are the people sitting at the table with them.”

Ashley Dodgers asked for a moment of silence to remember Wilbur Simmons, a 20-year Air Force veteran who passed away on Aug. 9.

David Chamlee introduced Melody Smith Lutz, a former Army captain and helicopter pilot, as the featured speaker. Lutz played basketball and tennis at West Point and was inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame for her athletic accomplishments and recently had her basketball jersey retired.

“She was the first South Carolina female to graduate from West Point,” Chamlee said.

Lutz met her future husband, Royd Lutz, while she was attending West Point.

“It was the 1980s version of North meets South,” she said. “He’s from New York, and I’m from South Carolina.”

Royd Lutz, a former Army Captain, served as an Airborne Ranger artillery officer. Their son, Cliff, also a graduate of West Point, is currently serving as an Airborne Ranger artillery officer. Their daughter, Marjorie, is a Clemson ROTC graduate serving as a Medical Services Corp officer.

“I vividly remember the wake-up call that hit home that I was in a unique profession,” Lutz said. “I was 23 and a 2nd Lieutenant attached to an aviation task force to serve in Honduras. The Sandinistas had taken over Nicaragua, and the U.S. wanted a presence in Central America. After we flew a successful mission to San Salvador, our two Huey crews moved to a house on a small compound in the city. We were awakened in the middle of the night and told to hastily move to the roof with our weapons. There was a truck of armed men circling our compound. No one was certain of their intent, so for hours we waited and said little. As I sat on the roof in the darkness, I felt a world away from Pendleton, from West Point and from Fort Hood. The armed men finally grew tired of their intimidation tactic or for some other reason decided not to attack.”

Lutz said there are many emotions as a member of the Profession of Arms. The first emotion is a feeling of shared hardship, the second is a feeling of excitement that can quickly turn into fear, and the third is a feeling of pride.

“Our profession in military service — even if it was our reality for a brief time — resulted in a unique experience that imparted unique emotions,” she said.

Anne Kilpatrick, regent of the Fort Prince George DAR Chapter, told the group that DAR had partnered with the Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration, established by Congress, to “thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war (POW) or listed as missing in action (MIA), for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to thank and honor the families of these veterans.”

Each veteran was presented a flag pin from DAR to thank them for their service. Mildred Brewer, serving as the chairman of the Vietnam Commemoration Committee, presented each Vietnam veteran with a special commemorative certificate.

The Vietnam Veterans receiving special recognition included Robert Allison, Army; Jack Black, Army; Joe Christopher, Army; Tom Collins, Navy; Ben Cole, Navy; Raymond Dawkins, Army; Ron Erickson, Navy; Roger Gettys, Army; Al Henderson, Army; Tom Jurkovich, Navy; Norm Rentz, Army; Dennis Schwab, Army; Steve Sally, Marines; Wil Simmons, Air Force; Tom Smith, Navy; Roy Stoddard, Navy; and Tommy Wires, Marines.