THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411110654
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KERRY DEROCHI, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
A dozen men gathered in the drafty hallway to watch as the portrait of a veteran was hung on a cinder-block wall.
They stood for a few minutes, taking photographs and adjusting the gold, oval frame.
There were no speeches, no marching bands or reviewing stands. Those would come another day.
This was simply a time to remember.
``Whoever comes through our door is going to see this great man,'' Earl Lennox told the group Wednesday morning. ``It's time we honor him.''
The words were in tribute to the late Bernard L. Hines, a soldier from Norfolk who fought in France and Belgium during the first world war.
By honoring Hines, the group of veterans drew attention to a war so long past that it sometimes is forgotten, a war that killed more than 116,000 U.S. soldiers and wounded 234,428 others.
There are fewer than 25,000 veterans of World War I still living in the United States, as few as five in Hampton Roads.
Today, Veteran's Day, marks the 76th anniversary of the day the Armistice was signed, ending the four-year war. Armistice Day, as it was known for more than 35 years, was broadened in 1954 to honor veterans of all wars.
Hines, who was once stationed at Fort Monroe, had survived two gassings while an infantrymen - the second time in Belgium on Nov. 10, 1918, one day before the Armistice was signed.
After the war, he returned to Norfolk, where he worked as a police officer and raised a family in Ghent. A recipient of the Purple Heart, he served as the commander of a local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and worked around the state for veterans' causes.
When he died in 1950 of a heart attack, friends formed a new chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and named it after him. They located it in a square white building on Little Creek Road in Norfolk. They hung a black and white sketch of a soldier helping an injured friend in war. On it are the words: ``Sacrifice. Courage. Duty.''
This week, the members of the Bernard Hines chapter dedicated a wall to their chapter's namesake. On it, they placed a photo and a plaque. They displayed the flag that had been presented to the Hines family at his funeral. The stars were yellowed with age.
Hines' daughter, Shirley Krite, cried.
``It was just bringing back so many memories, what a wonderful dad he was,'' Krite said. ``It's been so long.''
For Earl Lennox, the acting commander of the group, the ceremony was a way to link veterans from all wars. Lennox, a Marine who fought in Vietnam, said he believed focusing on World War I draws attention to those who saw combat in other conflicts.
``The sole purpose is to honor a veteran,'' Lennox said. ``Veterans today don't get the respect they should. It's something that needs to be remembered.
``If it weren't for our veterans, we wouldn't be here today. All I can say is, `Thank God for our veterans.' '' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
GARY C. KNAPP
Shirley Krite, daughter of Bernard L. Hines, halps commemorate a
memorial to him at the Disabled American Veterans' Norfolk chapter,
which bears his name. He won a Purple Heart in World War I.
Photo
WWI veteran Bernard L. Hines, a young infantryman from Norfolk.
Graphic
VETERANS DAY EVENTS
Local veterans groups are sponsoring their annual parade and
memorial service in Virginia Beach today. It starts at 9:30 a.m. at
16th Street and Atlantic Avenue and ends at the Tidewater Veterans
Memorial, across from the Virginia Beach Pavilion. A service will be
held at the memorial at 11:30 a.m.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth throws open its gates for a
rare public visit Saturday. Trophy Park will be open 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. to commemorate Veterans Day and the yard's 227th anniversary.
Visitors may enter through the First Street gate.
by CNB