Conrad Gentry is among those for whom Veterans Day is more than just a day off.
Although he hastens to add that he never saw combat, Gentry was nonetheless an Army medic, from 1943-46, just in time to serve in the Pacific theater at the end of World War II.
“They used to say there was the right way of doing things, and the Army way,” laughed Gentry, who was 18 when he was drafted out of Florida. He quickly followed his joke with praise for his former branch of service. “It grew me up kind of fast. I needed that strictness, since I was still a bit tender back then.”
Even before he left the United States, Gentry’s medical training took him to Oklahoma and Illinois, before he served stints at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Lewis.
“That’s how I came to live in this state,” Gentry said. “The military sent the Northerners to train down South, and the Southerners to train up North. It was very rewarding because I got to see a wide variety of places. The islands were neat, too.”
Although Gentry’s hospital unit had been preparing to ship out to the European theater, the resolution of the war on that front redirected them to Saipan and Tinian.
Gentry’s tent was close to the Northern airport of Saipan, where the bombers took off and landed. He was there on the island when the Enola Gay took off.
“That was where we saw the plane that was delivering the two A-bombs, although I didn’t know it at the time,” Gentry said. “As soon as my master sergeant saw it flying, he said, ‘I’ll bet you anything this war is over in a few days,’ so he must have had an inside line.”
Gentry’s medical career only lasted as long as his time in uniform, but he continued to feel connected to the military through his 38 years at Boeing,which produced many of America’s warbirds.
“Our military is essential,” said Gentry, now a member of the Marysville American Legion. “We need them for our safety and protection.”
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The Arlington and Marysville communities each have several events on tap to honor Veterans Day on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Arlington’s annual Veterans Day Parade down Olympic Avenue will kick off at 11 a.m. American Legion Post 76, at 115 N. Olympic Ave., will host a short ceremony at 4 p.m., followed by a free dinner for veterans from 5-7 p.m. Non-veterans can also dish up, for $6 each.
American Legion Post 178 in Marysville will be commemorating the day with a public flag retirement ceremony at 11 a.m. at 1521 Second St., behind Carr’s Hardware, followed by an open house from noon to 3 p.m. at the post hall, at 119 Cedar Ave. The flag ceremony will be moved indoors in inclement weather, and the open house will offer refreshments on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Hibulb Cultural Center, at 6410 23rd Ave. NE, will open on Veterans Day and provide free admission to active-duty military members and their families. The Tulalip Veterans Department’s presentation of flags at 10:30 a.m. will be followed by a roll call at 11 a.m. and a healing circle at 12:30 p.m.
While Community Transit will continue to offer regular service Nov. 11, the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce will postpone its State of the City and Chamber Luncheon at the Medallion Hotel in Smokey Point until Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The Tulalip Cabela’s, at 9810 Quil Ceda Blvd., is discounting firearms by 5 percent, and all other merchandise by 10 percent, for all active-duty, reserve and veteran military members, as well as all law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel.
Veterans can enjoy a free meal Nov. 11 by showing up in their military uniforms, bringing military identification or presenting DD Form 214s at the Arlington Pizza Factory, at 509 N. West Ave., or the Marysville Applebee’s, at 3702 88th St. NE. The Marysville Golden Corral, at 1065 State Ave., won’t serve its Military Appreciation Dinner until Monday, Nov. 17, but no identification is required for service members to eat for free.
