On Tuesday, November 10, in honor of Veteran’s Day, Shore Regional welcomed 27 veterans through its doors to educate its students about their experiences in the military. The veterans came from all walks of life, with various military backgrounds ranging from veterans from World War II to those who have served in present day Iraq. Students were divided into separate locations to attend different presentations carried out throughout the day. Each veteran had their own personal experience to share.

The first veteran to speak was Bob Musari, a marine who served in Vietnam. He discussed how he was wounded three times and took a live mortar in his stomach. After this incident, Mussari was named the “Human bomb” and received a large amount of press. Despite this experience, after being asked if he would do it again, he said yes. He said that he learned “things you never forget.”

The next veteran to discuss his experience was Derek Musari, Bob Musari’s son, who served as a Marine with 25th Division. He served in Baghdad and Fallujah as a military sniper.  Musari discussed his various experiences, including being involved in the bloodiest battle in Iraq, Nasiriyah, which the Marines thought was an abandoned city. However, they ended up being trapped within the city for 13 hours and fought the whole time.

The last veteran to speak was James Brereton who served previously in both the Marines and the Army. While serving in the U.S. Marine Corps between the years 1987 and 1993, he was stationed in San Diego as well as Okinawa. He was deployed into action during the Gulf War. In the Army he spent his time stationed in Fort Bragg, Fort Drum and Schofield, Hawaii during the years 1997 through 2013. He was deployed to Bosnia and Afghanistan twice, Iraq three times and Kosovo once. Brereton was awarded a plethora of awards including, the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Afghan Campaign Medal.  Post war and present day, Brereton still suffers with post traumatic stress disorder. He gets overwhelmed quickly and his body is still wired to react rapidly after having spent so much time in dangerous environments. To help him deal with this disorder, he is receiving a service dog from the state police, who generously raised money for his cause. This dog will be specifically trained for his personality and size. The dog will be there to ease his feelings of anxiety. When asked what his biggest take away from the war was, he responded “Brotherhood, I went to war for my country, but fought for my brothers.”

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