95-year-old veteran gets second chance
Andrew Uram poses for a photo with keynote speaker Admiral Mike Rogers at the annual Massing of Colors at Fort Meade.
Andrew Uram attending the Massing of the Colors ceremony as a 15-year-old at Fort Meade in 1936
The first time Andrew Uram attended the Massing of the Colors ceremony, he was a 15-year-old living through the Great Depression. Eighty years later, he got a second chance to see the patriotic event last weekend.
“Inspirational, motivational and patriotic,” said Uram, a 95-year-old World War II veteran from Washington, of the Memorial Day Remembrance and annual Massing of the Colors ceremony May 22 at Fort Meade, Md.
In celebration of Memorial Day, the Massing of the Colors is sponsored by the Military Order of the World Wars, and is a patriotic ceremony designed to render, respect and honor the United States flag and serve as a tribute to the servicemen and women who gave their lives for their country, as well as those who are currently serving.
It combines the colors and color guards from active duty, Reserve and National Guard military units, veterans service organizations, various civic, fraternal and patriotic organizations, as well as Boy Scout, Girl Scout, Cub Scout and Brownie troops from across the state and neighboring states.
“It brought back old memories of the war,” said Uram, who was an aviation cadet and 200 hours of flight training by the time the war ended. Uram served in six different stations where the training took place, and was discharged from the service at the University of Georgia in Athens.
The first time Uram attended the Massing of the Colors was July 1, 1936. Uram was 15 and had volunteered for an Army program for one month out of the year, called Citizens’ Military Training Camp.
It was during the Great Depression, and “they gave me a month of three meals a day and a warm cot to sleep in,” Uram said. “As a young guy, I wanted to see what the Army was all about.”
The CMCT was a military training program held annually from 1921 to 1940. The program allowed men to obtain basic military training without an active duty service obligation.
Uram attended this year’s Massing of the Colors ceremony with his two sons, Thomas and Matthew Uram, and his grandson, Andrew Uram.
“There were three reasons why I wanted to go to Fort Meade,” said Uram. “One was for the Massing of the Colors, the second was the 80th anniversary and third was for my grandson, to give him a chance to see what military life is all about.”