The U honored Charles Goodliffe, who will turn 92 this year, for his military service in World War II at Tuesday’s Veterans Day celebration.
Goodliffe survived three-and-a-half years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp from 1942 to 1945.
“The honor that they bestowed on us today8212;you can’t imagine what it meant to us coming out of a concentration camp,” Goodliffe said. “It’s wonderful that I can still be here (to receive this honor).”
The U hosted and honored veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq, with some veterans of WWII as special guests. Organizers of the event chose to showcase the experiences of those who provided medical aid to the wounded. Ora Mae Hyatt, a WWII nurse, shared her experiences on the medic panel alongside army medical professionals from Vietnam, Iraq and Korea.
“It’s a wonderful time to remember and to tell what it was like firsthand,” Hyatt said. “It’s hard to explain what it was like in 1945 and ’44. It would take a week to be able to hear back from home. Now we can have it in an instant.”
Hyatt returned to the U this year after being honored at last year’s event.
Tom McMasters, director of the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum in San Antonio, spoke about the history of the army’s battlefield medicine and moderated the morning panel on medics.
“It was really special for me to have a World War II battlefield nurse there,” McMasters said. “We’re losing 1,500 World War II veterans per day.”
The all-day celebration provided veterans with an opportunity to share their pride and legacy with their families and U students. Goodliffe’s two sons, who both served in Vietnam, joined him Tuesday to see the memorial and hear a 1940s style big band group.
“(While the big band played), it was a little bit sentimental,” Goodliffe said. “I really enjoyed being able to have them honor us for what we did 60 years ago.”
Goodliffe is accustomed to late honors. In 2006, he received a promotion from staff sergeant to technical staff sergeant after waiting for 64 years. He also received a Purple Heart in 2006.
On a more historical note, McMasters said Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I.
“This was the war to end war, and when it didn’t, in 1954 they changed it to Veterans Day,” he said.
Lucas IsleyThe U hosted events honoring veterans. The finale of the event was a Utah Army National Guard Band concert held in the Huntsman Center.