Veterans Day: My family’s and my military service

We want to honor all veterans this week in honor of Veterans Day. But first, I’d like to share with you my own family’s military service.

I am proud of the long lineage in our family of those who have served our country.

My father fought in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge.

My brother Aaron served in the Army on the Korean demilitarized zone.

And our brother, Wieland, was killed in action in Vietnam when he walked point alone and drew out enemy fire so that others in his platoon could fight their way out to freedom.

Many souls were saved on that day because of my brother’s bravery.

It was because of his sacrifice, and our love for him, that I dedicated all my “Missing in Action” films to him.

I still miss him every day. (My 103-year-old mom wrote a chapter on each of her three sons and their military service in her autobiography, “Acts of Kindness: My Story.”)

When I was a small boy, and my mom was seven-months pregnant with Wieland, we traveled by train alone to California to reunite with my father, who had moved there for work.

A group of Navy sailors on the train noticed my young pregnant mother and her small son, and they kind of took us under their wing as we traveled west, watching over us.

I’ll never forget their kindness.

They were good guys, and I was in awe of them.

My respect for the U.S. military had its beginnings right there on that train.

Because of their positive influence on me, I initially wanted to be a sailor.

But after I turned 18, I joined the United States Air Force instead, just two months after graduating from high school in Ryan, Oklahoma.

It was during basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas that I took on the nickname “Chuck,” given to me by a fellow airman who thought it fit me better than my birth name, “Carlos.” It stuck.

I was soon after sent to serve in South Korea during the Cold War and was stationed at Osan Air Base as an air policeman, which today is called Air Force security forces. I served from 1958-1962.

My original goal was to have a career in law enforcement.

But as the adage goes, “We plan, and God laughs!” He had other plans.

It was during my service time in Korea that I also discovered and trained in judo and Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art similar to karate.

One day while outside the base in the city of Osan, I discovered a dojo studio where Tang Soo Do was taught.

I was hooked and worked hard to master it.

I left Korea in 1961 as a black belt in Tang Soo Do and a brown belt in judo.

It was my military experience that instilled a sense of self-confidence, character and discipline in my martial arts and acting careers.

The rest, they say, is history.

My family’s service is a perfect backstory to Veterans Day this week.

For those who might not know, Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. (“Armistice” is an agreement by opposing forces to stop fighting war.)

In 1926, Congress passed a resolution to make Nov. 11 an annual observance.

In 1938, Nov. 11 became a national holiday.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation that changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day, to honor those who served in all American wars.

For all our servicemen and servicewomen have done for us, my wife, Gena, I always try to give back to them.

We are involved with a number of charities that support veterans, including the Veterans Administration National Salute and Hospitalized Veterans.

And in 2006 and 2007, during the Iraq war, I even visited U.S. troops twice in the Middle East to support and encourage them and their families back home.

Our time with veterans is always humbling and rewarding, and we always walk away being more enriched by them than they are of us.

In 2001, I was blessed beyond measure to be awarded the “Veteran of the Year” award by the U.S. Air Force.

And in 2007, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway made me an honorary United States Marine.

I am so humbled by such honors.

But, for me, the true patriot awards go out to every last veteran (and their family members) who have served and sacrificed for freedom, domestically and abroad.

We honor ALL of you today!

I agree with President John F. Kennedy, who said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Please, pass along your contagious patriotism by educating others (and especially your posterity) about U.S. veterans. Whether you pass them in the streets or airports, as often as they are in your presence, shake the hands of those who are serving or have served our country as you say with enthusiasm and sincerity, “Thanks for your service!”

On behalf of millions of Americans, Gena and I salute all who serve and have served our great country and the cause of freedom. And we pray daily for those who continue to put themselves in harm’s way, including at this very moment.

Award-winning author and proud member of the Military Writers Society of America, Claudia Terry Pemberton, put it best, and her words can be easily adopted to include every branch of military personnel: “America without her soldiers would be like God without his angels.”

(To arouse the patriotic spirit in you and your loved ones, I encourage you to watch “Modern Warriors” on FOX Nation – www.FoxNation.com. I also encourage you to read the insightful and inspiring patriotic books of David Bellavia, a Medal of Honor Recipient for his actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah.)