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‘One nation under God’ theme for luncheon
Published November 6, 2009
ANGLETON — Art Vandaveer discovered the meaning of “One nation under God” on Aug. 17, 1969, when he was wounded in a Vietnam jungle.
Moving from the relative safety of a 4-foot-deep foxhole to recover a radio to call in air support during an attack of the U.S. Marines Third Battalion, Vandaveer was caught near a mortar round.
“Boom,” he said loudly, causing some of the 75 people to jerk in their chairs at the Exchange Club of Angleton’s sixth annual “One Nation Under God” luncheon Thursday.
Vandaveer didn’t immediately know it, but the round caused injuries to his head, arms and legs. Seconds before, the Freeport native was standing where the shell fell.
“Over my right shoulder, I heard a voice. It said, ‘You’ve gone too far. Turn around and go back.’ So I did,” he told the audience at the First Presbyterian Church of Angleton fellowship hall. “One, two, three steps ... Boom!”
The explosion lifted the Marine lieutenant off the ground and he landed near his foxhole. Somewhere in the frantic crawl before the explosion, he’d managed to grab the radio and give it to his partner.
Very soon, Vandaveer saw four American F-4 Phantom airplanes pass overhead and quell the enemy.
“It was all over in 15 minutes,” he said, but the lesson has so far lasted a lifetime.
“‘One nation under God’ means I depend on God, all day, every day,” Vandaveer said. “It means ... without him I am lost. That showed me how much God loves me and how much He wants to be a part of my life. ‘One nation under God.’ What does it mean to you?”
The sound of scraping chairs and applause filled the room as the audience stood in appreciation of the speech and in honor of the man.
“Thank you for your service to our country,” Pct. 1 Commissioner and Exchange Club President Donald “Dude” Payne said.
The Angleton group’s meeting was one of many across the United States celebrating November as “One Nation Under God” month, County Tax Assessor and Exchange Club Secretary Ro’Vin Garrett said.
“It’s part of our program of Americanism,” Garrett said. “Exchange clubs all over the country are celebrating our country’s unique relationship with God.”
John Lowman covers Angleton for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581.
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