Veteran reflects on duty to serve

On any given morning at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls, Edward Day is probably playing cribbage. 

A Vietnam War and Gulf War veteran at age 71, Day finds a lot of solace in the game and as a good way to stay alert in his downtime. He is often joined by Vic Holmberg, a 97-year-old World War II veteran who lives down the hallway. 

Together, the two seasoned vets play the classic game, at times reflecting on experiences throughout their lives, many of which are to be honored this weekend on Veterans Day. 

Growing up, Day was very familiar with the United States Army. His father was a first sergeant in the Army for 20 years, and in turn, Day was a military brat, constantly moving and changing schools throughout his youth. 

“I knew I wanted to serve,” Day said, sitting in his room. “I’m from a military family. And we've always been a military family.”

At age 16, Day was living in Colorado. He drove to an Army recruiter in Boulder just months before his 17th birthday and signed up to serve. It was the common thing to do then, Day said – if you weren’t in school, you were likely going to get drafted, so it made sense to go ahead and join beforehand.

Day's first year in the military consisted of a lot of moving, something he was used to already because of his dad. 

He began his eight weeks of basic training in 1970 at Fort Lewis in Washington before going to Georgia for his first advanced individual training. He moved to Oklahoma to become an artilleryman before going back to Georgia as a paratrooper. He spent three months at a base in Germany and learned jungle warfare in Washington. 

Soon enough, Day was sent to Vietnam, a war his father was also serving in at the time and the war that claimed his uncle’s life in December of 1966. As a buck sergeant in the 196th Infantry Brigade, the unit spent most of its time in North Vietnam, bushwhacking through thick brush.

It was brutal, Day said. The terrain was tough and each man carried an 85-pound rucksack through a triple-canopy jungle, flooded with intense humidity.

“We did that because it was our duty and we love America,” Day said. 

When the war ended, the United States flew the surviving soldiers out. Coming home was not easy, Day said. There was no time to decompress and there was no welcome home, notably out of public resistance to the war. 

“I could make no sense of it when I was there,” Day said about the war in general. “And then to come home and be treated like we were, well that left a scar. We all were just so happy to be home.” 

Home from Vietnam and only 19 years old, Day started a career in construction, trying to move on from Vietnam, like many veterans at the time. A couple of years later he became a mailman in Colorado, occasionally staying in touch with comrades.

On Nov. 3, 1990, while out on a mail run, Day was recruited to join the 217th unit with the National Guard. On Jan. 2, 1991, his unit landed in Saudi Arabia, preparing to fight in the Gulf War.

“I have never seen so much devastation,” Day said about his time in the Middle East. “It was another case of why are we even here?”

From Kuwait City’s Highway of Death to Iraq and Iran, Day once again experienced a tragic war in his voluntary service to America. His unit returned to the States in July of that year. 

He went back to delivering mail, until waking up one morning in 1993 and deciding to sell everything and move to Montana. He quit his job, stopped at a pub and sold his house to the bartender.

Between Montana and Colorado, Day was able to guide and outfit, living in mainly small towns like Roundup and Hamilton and staying away from crowds. It wasn’t until 2000 that Day registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs for health care. Like many veterans from the time, Day quickly found out he was exposed to Agent Orange, had type 2 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

Day lived in a small house on 9 acres in Roundup until January of 2023 when his age-related macular degeneration worsened. He was losing his sight. 

For the second time, Day sold all of his belongings and moved, this time to Columbia Falls to be a resident of the veterans home, where he now plays cribbage with his friend. 

“I’ve had a terrific run,” Day said. “Through [the Army] and family, I’ve been all over the world. But Montana is the best by far.”

In June, Day traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The wall showcases more than 58,000 servicemembers who gave their lives between 1957 and 1975, some of whom Day knew. 

In light of Veterans Day, Day encourages the community to consider the experiences of veterans as they reflect on service. From the tragedies seen in pursuit of representing a free nation, the orders that had to be followed despite personal feelings, to the abrupt returns home from a war zone. Serving is a duty to Day. 

“I have the utmost respect for the kids serving now,” he said. “It was my duty to serve when I did.”

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.