Dick Ament, U.S. Navy

"I graduated High School, and the next thing I knew I was in the Navy," Dick Ament said of how he joined the military. "There wasn't any choice back then, everyone was going into the service."

Ament served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946 during the peak of World War II in the Pacific. He said he served as a (Relief Man) and worked as a mortar machinist mate.

"I did all different kinds of things on different ships," Ament explained. He said he was on a Patrol Craft Support (PCS) most of his service.

Most of his service during wartime took place in eastern Pacific islands, such as Guam, Saipan and the Northern Marinas.

While in the combat zones, Ament said there were a few "scary minutes", especially during the end of his tour. He said after the atomic bombs were dropped in August of 1945, many of the Japanese on the island he was serving on would not surrender. He recalled an instance, after the war was over, of a Japanese soldier who would steal from the Navy's camp and posed as an American to get food from the chow line.

Ament said there were many great things about service overseas. He met many wonderful people who he remained friends with after the war. Additionally, he enjoyed seeing different parts of the world with his service.

Near the end of his service, Ament was stationed in Key West, Fla. as a lookout for one-man submarines in the Gulf of Mexico.

"It was boring as hell," Ament said while laughing about being stationed in the Gulf of Mexico. "But it was just real nice duty."

Once his service was up, he remembered being applauded by American citizens, saying he was "treated like royalty".

"People were good, patriotic, honest citizens," he said. "We were working for the same cause back then."

Ament went to work with Iowa 4-H groups upon his return. He used his G.I. Bill to go Iowa State University and got his degree in agriculture. Ament said without the help from the G.I. Bill, college would have been an unlikely option for him.

Ament founded the Platte Valley VFW in 1982, and is still active in the organization.

Being a veteran comes with many honors, Ament said. He said he enjoys being able to show more patriotism than most, and he is sympathetic with those who are currently serving in the military now.

"It's different now, but patriotism should still be here in America," Ament said.