Pokorney tribute is highlight of exhibit dedication

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003 | 1:08 a.m.

It's a simple but moving tribute to the first Nevada casualty of the Iraq War -- Lt.

Frederick E. Pokorney's combat boots on a wooden plaque in the shape of the Marine Corps symbol with a replica of an M-16 holding aloft his helmet.

The gift from Pokorney's family was the highlight of the dedication to the Operation Iraqi Freedom War exhibit Tuesday at the Lowden/ Council of Nevada Veterans Organizations Museum.

"We should not forget that there is still a war being fought in Iraq. But because of brave men like Fred Pokorney that war against terrorism continues to be fought on Iraq soil and not on ours," said Ed Gobel, director of the museum at 3333 Cambridge Ave., near Desert Inn Road and Maryland Parkway.

The Veterans Day commemoration at the museum, which also featured the opening of the temporary Elvis Presley Army uniform exhibit and the permanent Bob Hope USO exhibit, was held at the same time as the downtown Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade that honored Korean War veterans on the 50th anniversary of the end of that conflict.

Participants and spectators at both events expressed concerns for modern U.S. warriors in Iraq, and said they hope the recent surges of patriotism would continue for future generations of combat veterans.

The monument to Pokorney, one of nine Marines killed fighting near An Nasiriyah on March 28, was donated by his widow, Chelle, and Wade and Suzy Lieseke, who took Pokorney into their family while Pokorney was in his teens. The family got to preview the exhibit before returning to Tonopah on Sunday, Gobel said.

A placard above Pokorney's helmet and boots honors not only Pokorney, who graduated from Tonopah High School in 1989, but also "all other Nevadans who sacrificed their lives preserving our freedom." At the parade, veterans of the Korean War felt an extra surge of pride this year on the golden anniversary of the end of their campaign.

"It is especially rewarding because our war was not a popular war like World War II," said Las Vegas boxing judge and general contractor Dalby Shirley, an Army veteran who watched the parade with his 9-year-old grandson, Caiden Shirley.

Shirley said it is important to him that his grandson understand the sacrifices made by not only his generation, but also modern soldiers.

"A couple of years ago they talked about doing away with this parade and I thought that would have been terrible," Shirley said.

"I think it is important that we continue to support the president and Congress in the war in Iraq because we have to maintain a strong military presence in the world to protect our way of life."

Jeff Ryder, facilities manager for Cox Communications, which broadcast the parade, said that as a Purple Heart recipient from the Vietnam War, he too hopes the patriotism expressed today can withstand recent deaths of U.S. soldiers in post-war Iraq.

"I just believe we are not getting the full story from the news media about all of what is going on over there -- the good as well as the bad," said Ryder, who served in the Army in Vietnam in the late 1960s.

As in Vietnam, "we are seeing mostly the gloom and doom reports. I am sure there is a lot of good going on in getting the new government set up in Iraq, but we don't see a lot of that on the news," he said.

Pat Whitlock, longtime commander of the local youth Sea Cadets group and a retired Navy chief who served as a reservist in Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, said patriotism today is high in part because of the success of citizen soldiers in the Reserves and National Guard.

"People have respect for today's young citizens military because they are policemen and cooks and people from all walks of life who put on the uniform once a month and are prepared to serve their country when called," she said.

"I think the weekend warriors will keep the surge of patriotism alive once the conflicts are over." Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence Weekly, riding a city ladder truck in the parade, said with the recent war being brought into our homes daily, people should be feeling patriotic.

"We watch TV and see the troops putting their lives on the line every day to bring peace to the world," Weekly said. "I just feel that the very least I can do is come here and say thank you to them and veterans of past wars."

At the parade, future veterans said they march to pay respect to those who made Veterans Day the tradition it now is.

"I think years from now, when I'm a veteran, these type of events will be just as important because of the tradition of serving one's country and the respect people have for those who do," said Nellis Air Force Base Senior Airman Shawn Fink, a native of St. Louis who has been in the Air Force for four years.

Nellis Tech Sgt. Scott Chaplin, who saw action in Southwest Asia in 2001 and 2002, said he too likes to participate in Veterans Day events because "we are here and free today because of those who went before us.

"I would hope that the patriotism that is expressed now for our veterans will continue to grow" Chaplin said. "I would hope people will not forget."