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thedrifter
11-19-07, 08:46 AM
11/19/2007
Local veteran visits Washington, D.C. on Veterans Day
By Josh Krysak , Herald-Standard

Retired Marines Master Sgt. John Kenes sat at attention in his North Union Township home, folded his gloved hands in his lap and squinted behind his glasses.
The walker in front of the 30-year military veteran, dapper in his dress uniform, appeared at odds with the authority he still commands at the age of 83.

Kenes, the state commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said that he was honored to attend Veterans Day services in Washington, D.C., Nov. 11, noting that going to the nation's capital is something he tries to do as much as he can.

He and his wife, Ethel, attended the dedication of the Vietnam Wall on Veterans Day.

He said he was pleased with the turnout and added that he is still taken aback by the respect paid to veterans by complete strangers.

"So many came up to me and shook my hand and thanked me," Kenes said. "We were walking down the street and people were stopping their cars and thanking me. It was an honor."

Kenes joined the Navy during World War II at the age of 17. He served for almost four years and took part in six invasions.

Following the war, Kenes said he came home to Uniontown and worked in civilian life for several years and married his high school sweetheart, the former Ethel Savage. But Kenes said he was drawn back to the service, this time joining the Marine Corps.

Kenes served for 24 years as a Marine, including two tours of duty in Vietnam where he said he was viewed as a father by many of the men serving in the war because of his age.

"I was 45 and most of the guys coming over were just kids, so they kind of looked to me as a father," Kenes said, smiling. "I took care of them."

Kenes received three Purple Hearts during two tours in Vietnam, suffering an eye injury, a head injury and a massive injury in 1964 after walking into a booby-trap while in Vietnam.

"I walked into it and got 26 pieces of shrapnel all through my body," Kenes said.

He was in and out of hospitals for the next three years before returning to the fight in 1968.

Kenes said he can clearly recall the events of one night in particular when his unit was on patrol and was ambushed.

"They were all around us and we couldn't even fire our rifles because we didn't know where our own guys were. It was hand-to-hand combat. One of our boys got shot in the arm and the chest and I dragged him out of there and into a helicopter. You never forget that stuff," Kenes said.

Kenes said he also can vividly remember the Battle of Sicily in World War II, which began on his 18th birthday.

"I was with the 82nd Airborne and the Germans were bombing us. We shot down 40 planes throughout the battle more than 400 were killed on both sides. I remember the bodies floating in the water. We went out and cut the dog tags from them. I still get flashbacks from things like that. You can always see it," Kenes said.

Kenes said the mindset of the soldiers changed from World War II to Vietnam.

"In World War II, we knew we were in it until it was done. But in Vietnam, things had changed and soldiers were always wondering when they would rotate back to the outside world. It was different. But combat is combat. I grew up in it," Kenes said.

Kenes said he stays in touch with many of the men he served with and said that despite the horror of war he is glad they are a part of his life.

"I have not regrets," Kenes said. "People need to know what we went through and what soldiers still go through today."

Ellie