Veteran Highlight: Ron Travis

After getting out of the Navy, Ron Travis used the GI Bill to go to college in Washington state where he recalls his professors, during the height of the Vietnam War, organized protests to the war. Travis and his fellow veterans were some of the few to safely return from Vietnam and believed the troops there still needed support. In response, the group organized a counter protest to have a veteran in every classroom so that the professors could not shirk their teaching duties. This act would be the first in a lifetime of standing up for America’s veterans.

“I have been thanked more for my service in the last 2 years than I have in the last 50 before,” said Ron Travis. “We’re on the right track, but I think we can do more. We need to recognize our veterans and the sacrifices they have made. Some people take it for granted. It’s all about the veterans, and I am proud to be part of it.”

Travis also speaks of the growing awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among returning military personnel, saying that in years past it had been dismissed as mostly being “shellshocked.” He says that the reality is “you’re not carrying around a bullet, but you’re scarred.”

Ron Travis is now devoting his life to organizing the first Honor Flight in Alaska, and has set a goal to bring 25 of Alaska’s WWII veterans to Washington, DC this fall.

“Ron Travis’ story is one of a true American patriot,” said Senator Murkowski. “He has lived some of the injustices we have put our veterans through in the past, and has been a driving force in Alaska to make sure we fully appreciate their sacrifices. On this Memorial Day, and every day, we owe it to veterans like Ron Travis to honor them through sharing their stories, and we owe it to the rest of us to learn from the high levels of patriotism, commitment and service they demonstrate for us.”