Army Trainer - Steve Horn - Vietnam Era Veteran

Steve Horn, an Army Trainer, served the United States during the Vietnam War. As a dedicated trainer, he made certain his troops were as prepared as possible for military combat. Numerous lives were saved as a result.

Steve served the United States during a twelve year stent with the United States Army. Four years were spent as a member of Creighton's ROTC squad. This was followed by six years of active and reserve duty, and two years teaching the Department of Defense in both Wiesbaden and Hanau, Germany.

Two years were spent at the Engineer Officer School at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. This experience, in 1961, provided so much information, that Steve recognizes that it provided a broad basis of education and helped him become a jack of all trades.

December, 1961, found Steve in a course on Construction Planning of Blast and Fallout Shelters during the Berlin Crisis. Although the training was to lead to time in Germany creating barrier plans to slow down the Russian movement, but they were shipped to Fort Leonard Wood to repllace those sent to Engineer units overseas.

Most of the 120 officers in these courses ended up teaching Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood. Many were bitter, but Steve enjoyed the experience. The post included good libraries, gyms, and a beautiful Ozark setting.

Trips to Omaha were frequent, because Steve accepted night exercises, providing additional time off for travel.

As Steve's skills grew, he took over a training Company for the second eight weeks after Basics.

While never overseas during any of his time in the military, he did experience the battles of Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Riley, Fort Jackson, Camp McCoy, Fort Belvoir, Camp AP Hill, Camp Carson, and Corps Headquarters in Omaha. During this period, he accepted additional duties as the following:

• Trial Counsel for Special Court
• Defense Counsel
• Member of the Court
• Safety Officer
• Range Officer

Although Steve considered himself a gung-ho officer during the majority of his military service, he began to question the Vietnam War. As a trainer for Troop Information course a Fort Omaha, in 1966, he was to convince soldiers of the rationale for the war. The films offered by the Army, however, were filled with contradictions.
While one of the mantras was, "We must win the hearts and minds of the people," films would show lines of bombs streaming out of B-52s. The end results included images of burnt villages and the use of firepower under conditions that were far from winning anyone's heart or mind.

As he matured, subsequent actions made it clear to Steve that this type of war was a losing situation, largely because we have no idea of the complexities of a lengthy war, nor a deep understanding of the cultures being fought.

According to Steve, "For years, I had thought I should have stayed in the Army.  One of the great saving aspects of my life was that I returned to work for the army two different times as a teacher.  In that capacity I relived much of the reasons I did not extend when asked.  I have a good grasp of the family life faced by soldiers deployed overseas.  Some of their problems are heartbreaking."

Steve continues to fight as a Veteran for Peace in Omaha, Nebraska, raising the awareness that citizens must question the necessity of any war.

The quilt was presented on the corner of 72nd and Dodge Street, in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 24, 2013. The quilt, made by Vicki, pays tribute to Steve's service. Steve continues to honor the United States by representing veterans for peace. Thank you, Steve!