Fellow Americans and Race Fans, please join in our continuing efforts to deliver a message of Appreciation to all who have Served and Sacrificed for US during our Nations History. The birth of this event happened in 1989 after I had an extended stay of about 4 months in the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Hello friends, my name is Ken Hummel, and being involved with auto racing for most of my life, this visit to the hospital opened my eyes up to something that many in America, including myself, had absolutely no idea about what was happening to many of our veterans throughout our country.
I had always felt very fortunate that my involvement in that war was limited, and that my service really didn't have the affects on me as it did with so many others. I never had to face the abuse from our own citizens that treated so many of our vet's with disrespect, violence, and other horrible actions that had happened to them. Infact, after I was discharged, I really just stayed away from the issues and anything to do with the military at all. However, I also never thought that after 14 years of avoiding everything connected to the service, would I ever become so involved with any veterans issues.
I had been in the hospital for a few days when I began meeting other veterans when one of them came up to me and shook my hand as he introduced himself to me. At the same time, he thanked me for my service which I tried to tell him that my time in that conflict was really not that much, but, he said it again. He explained to me that my involvement was just part of the big picture and that my job and time was just as important as the next guy, and showed me another view of what that war or any war was really all about.