Published November 13 2001

Students honor vets 11/13/2001

He has achieved much, having attained the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and has served his country for more than a quarter century.

He went from Austin, Minn., to the Naval ROTC program at the University of Utah to the U.S. Navy, where he remained on active duty for 10 years before joining the Naval Reserve. He was recently called back to active duty, and he now works for the National Infrastructure Protection Center. The organization is to assess, investigate and respond to threats or attacks made against this country's critical infrastructures.

On Monday, at a Veterans Day event at Red Wing High School, the Red Wing resident sought recognition - not for himself - for the dozens of military veterans who have served this country and world in defense of democratic principles.

"There is no more noble calling than to serve one's country," Plehal said. "We all must appreciate veterans' service."

Plehal knows well that the freedoms and liberties that characterize democracy can better be appreciated after exposure to a culture and a country in which they are withheld.

"Go elsewhere, and you will realize how special this country is," Plehal said. "This country has not always done the right thing, or done things for the right reasons. But others long for what we have."

And the attacks of Sept. 11 were far more than simply an attack on a collective American lifestyle, Plehal said. Rather, they were an attack on a brave and noble experiment in democracy. And the preservation of democratic ideals comes at a price.

"Freedom is not free," Plehal said.

In a perfect world, he would not be working 12- and 15-hour days, away from his family in Red Wing. But this is not a perfect world, and Plehal remains grateful for the opportunity to serve his country.

"Military service is a burden and a privilege," he said. "Veterans focus on the privilege of serving the country. The nature of the job requires a sense of duty and civic responsibility."

Monday's program was evidence that several hundred Red Wing High School students would not let Plehal's service, nor the service of the veterans on hand, go unrecognized.

"I can't tell you how much this program means to vets," Plehal said. "It's special because it means young people have an awareness of what others have given."

burroughs@republican-eagle.com

By: Bob Burroughs
Staff Writer,