Hard times don’t last forever, but hard people do

Cutline: As a thank you to the veterans in the community, Cornell students created notes attached to 100 Grand candy bars, which was a big hit with the veterans. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

Sometimes, life gets hard, sometimes you want to give up. As the guest speaker at the Cornell School Veterans Day program Nov. 11, Specialist First Class Shane Sanderson encouraged students to keep trying.

Sanderson, originally from Ladysmith, is now a teacher at Lake Holcombe, but in his own words, it was a long road to get to that point. Enlisting in 1987, Sanderson served 23 years in the Army, as a combat engineer, enlisted for “duty, honor, country and freedom.”

“I was ready to get out of here and live the commercials,” said Sanderson. “And I don’t regret a minute of it.”

A moment stands out in 2005, when Sanderson was in Iraq, one of the soldiers in his tour was a new father and missed the birth of his first child. He later thanked Sanderson for the words that helped him through that time, even though Sanderson didn’t remember what he said until he was reminded.

“At the beginning of the tour, I told him not to worry, everything always works out,” said Sanderson, adding the soldier didn’t know what he meant. “I asked him, when has something ever not worked out for you?”

Sanderson says things always work out if a person perseveres.

“Hard times don’t last forever, but hard people do,” said Sanderson.

The Ladysmith native had good cause to outlast his hard time, when he was wounded in November 2009, as part of the 166th Engineer Company, stationed to help a unit at a remote combat outpost in Afghanistan. Without warning, two enemy 107mm rockets exploded at the soldiers’ feet, with four of the soldiers within 10 feet of the detonation; the kill radius of those weapons is 195 feet.

Sanderson ended the day with shrapnel wounds to his legs, where he was flown to Germany, for additional medical care, and was then transported to the U.S. for follow-up care. He and the other four soldiers survived their injuries, despite the close proximity to the rockets.

His commander summed up the event best.

I would characterize the circumstances as miraculous, wrote the commander.

Ironically, Sanderson was supposed to be sent home in December, because he’d maxxed out his months in a combat zone. In true military fashion, Sanderson was sent on “one last mission” after the other, which led to his injuries that November day.

“Instead of going home in less than a month to finally be with my family for Christmas, I spent the next six months undergoing surgeries, and physical and occupational rehabilitation,” said Sanderson. When addressing the students, Sanderson said he hopes sharing his story will make an impact on their lives.

“You’re the future,” he said. “You are who I was fighting for. I’d ask you to not take that lightly.”

Eventually, Sanderson’s path led him to become a teacher, something he is greatly proud of. As with the military, Sanderson said brethrenship forms in the community, because people need to rely on each other, like when a disaster happens locally.

“Generally, that unity seems short-lived,” said Sanderson. He admittedly isn’t a grand unifier, but Sanderson said he wants people and students to understand that you can still live with each others’ differences.

“Rights aren’t free,” he said. “Freedom isn’t free. Freedom comes with responsibility.”

Sanderson asks people to keep things in perspective and remember what is important.

“Just because you disagree with someone, doesn’t mean you have to disagree about everything,” said Sanderson. “As a veteran, it saddens me that so many are missing the point.”

After seeing children literally dying for the chance to go to school each day in the countries he served in, Sanderson encouraged students to make the most of their educational opportunities.

“Don’t try to be perfect, just try to be better,” said Sanderson, posing one last question for students to ponder. “What can I do to make someone else’s life better today?”

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="242"] Cornell junior Madyson Sanders sang from her soul, performing the National Anthem to open the Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]   [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="242"] Led by Jake Gundlach (front), the Cornell American Legion honor guard fired a 21-gun salute to their fallen comrades. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]   [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="242"] Retired Army Specialist First Class combat engineer and Purple Heart recipient Shane Sanderson, spoke to those gathered at the Cornell and Lake Holcombe school Veterans Day programs Nov. 11. Sanderson shared his experiences and asked for people not to give up during hard times, finishing his talks to thunderous applause. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]