Untold sacrifices

Vestavia Hills can count no shortage of military veterans among its residents, from World War II to Vietnam, and even during the Cold War.

Among those Vestavia men and women who’ve sacrificed for their country are General Charles Krulak, who served two tours in Vietnam, was appointed commandant of the Marine Corps and later served as president of Birmingham-Southern College, and Wally Womack, a Navy veteran who served during the Cold War and later retired from the Naval Reserves as a captain.

GENERAL CHARLES KRULAK

When he returned from his first tour of duty in Vietnam, Krulak walked into a wrestling meet at Lehigh University, part of his work as a Naval Academy instructor and officer representative for the Navy’s wrestling team, and encountered a hostile response.

“We walked into the gym where we were going to wrestle, and people started throwing Coke cans at me and yelling, ‘Baby killer!’” Krulak said. “... It was a shock to me, because I was not aware there was so much venom about the war.”

Things have changed, said Krulak. Soldiers returning home from war are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, he said. 

While it’s not uncommon to see veterans thanked for their service, Krulak said they should be thanked for something more.

“What we should be saying is, ‘Thank you for your sacrifice,’” Krulak said. “Because what’s really important is that they’re sacrificing time out of their life …At the home front, that spouse, those children, are also sacrificing.”

A Vietnam veteran, former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and past president of Birmingham-Southern College, Krulak said his family’s willingness to sacrifice makes him prouder than any of his career accomplishments.

“My wife, she’s moved 34 times,” Krulak said. “My children attended Lord knows how many schools. … They did it without complaining, and followed the family.”

Two months into his first of two tours in Vietnam, Krulak’s company’s commanding officer was killed, and Krulak took his place, overseeing about 160 soldiers along the demilitarized zone.

He still recalls the summer heat and the rains in the monsoon season, as well as the harsh life they encountered.

“We would normally go out for days at a time, so you never had a change of clothes, you never had a chance to take a bath,” Krulak said.

“You were fighting a very determined enemy who was not afraid of you … It was a tough time, but it was also an inspiring time to me because of the Marines I was honored to command.”

Krulak said some of his men were volunteers, some were draftees. But all of them fought, not just for America, but for each other.

“In the back of your mind, there’s that [American] flag … but at the end of the day, you’re sitting there looking on your right, on your left, and you know, ‘I can’t let these people down,’” he said.

After Vietnam, Krulak ascended the Marine ranks, ultimately becoming the commandant of the Marine Corps, serving as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest position a Marine can hold.

“Nobody makes four-star [general], nobody gets promoted in anything, without having great people with you, and working for you, and holding you up on their shoulders,” Krulak said. 

As commandant, Krulak oversaw some 225,000 Marines and had an operating budget of about $20 billion.

“You’re responsible, not only for training, equipping and providing combat-ready Marines …  but you’re also responsible, along with the Joint Chiefs, with providing that Commander-in-Chief with the best advice … that you can,” Krulak said.

Krulak called his time in the military a “Ph.D. in leadership.” It prepared him well for his time leading Birmingham-Southern, which encountered a myriad of problems before his arrival, including “significant debt,” a “junk bond status” and faculty pay cuts.

Under Krulak’s leadership, the school restructured its debt, raised the bond rating to stable and was reaccredited for 10 years. Faculty pay cuts were reversed and retirement giving continued.

During his time in the military and at Birmingham-Southern, Krulak developed a love for young people.

“To watch a young Marine give his life for his fellow Marines and for his country, in a far-off land, in an unpopular war, had a remarkable impact on me, and fostered what turned out to be a lifelong love of young people,” Krulak said. “... Young people do care. They want to live a life of significance, and given the opportunity, they will surprise us on how good they are.”

Reflecting on what Americans can do to help veterans, Krulak said hiring them and appreciating what they can bring to a job goes a long way.

However, more important than giving them a job, Krulak said, is to thank them and appreciate them for those sacrifices they, and their families, have made.

“Quit worrying about that they served, and start thinking that they sacrificed, because they did,” Krulak said. “Thank them for their sacrifice, and if you get a chance, if they are married, thank their spouse and their children for their sacrifices too. … That’ll make a difference.”

WALLY WOMACK

Wally Womack served in the Navy from 1960 to 1963 during the Cold War. While he didn’t see any active combat, it was still a tense time.

“When we left port … you never let out any communications from the time you leave port until you’re due back because you’re afraid that the Russians would follow you and know where you’re going to,” Womack said. “We were more or less in a wartime mood. We were ready, on signal, to shoot those atomic bombs into Russia.”

Despite the ongoing conflict, Womack, now 80, said he was more excited than scared as a young man in his early 20s.

Womack graduated from Phillips High School in Birmingham and joined the Navy after he grew up watching movies from World War II.

“Seeing these Army folks dragging through the dirt and mud, and Marines rushing across the beach … every time you saw a Navy ship in the movie, they were either rolling out of bed or getting up from the dinner table,” Womack said. “That looked a lot better for me.”

After graduating from submarine school, Womack went into an operating submarine in Pearl Harbor for just under two years.

“If you’re in submarines, you have to learn all about it — you take all kinds of hands-on tests to finally determine that you’re qualified in submarines,” Womack said.

Womack said he enjoyed his time in the Navy, and was able to travel to California, Vancouver, Seattle and Connecticut, as well as overseas destinations like Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

After leaving the Navy, Womack became a lawyer, retiring from the bar after 52 years, and worked for First National Bank of Tuscaloosa, which later merged with AmSouth, for 35 years.

Womack also continued in the Naval Reserves, retiring a captain after 27 years. He said he did a lot of paperwork and helped train enlisted sailors. Womack is also active in the Military Officers Association of Greater Birmingham, having served as its president and vice president at various times.

“We really are active in lobbying for things to help veterans or help the active military,” Womack said. “We support a few things; a lot of our members are involved with the National Cemetery in Montevallo.”

Womack, like Krulak, said one of the best ways to help veterans is to help them adapt to life after the military, including finding employment.