ROCHELLE — In honor of Veterans Day, local Cub Scout Pack 553 had the opportunity to hear about military life from a veteran’s point of view.
Chuck Roberts served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War era and is no stranger to military life, spending much of his childhood in Japan, the Philippines and Korea as a child of a World War II veteran. Roberts military lineage dates back to before World War I.
He discussed his experiences in the military and presented the scouts with a slide show.

“I shared what veterans did while they were in the military and I reminded them that everything is not like what you see in video games,” Roberts said. “Eighty percent of soldiers are support groups and do various things such as cooks … are now referred to as culinary specialists. There are drone pilots, maintenance people, judge advocate generals, which are the lawyers. There are also intelligence crews that monitor the internet.”
Roberts also explained the five branches of the armed services — Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, Army and Air Force and some of the activities and different jobs they do.
“I mentioned to them to ask veterans what they did in the military. They might find it very interesting,” he added.
Following Roberts’ presentation, the Cub Scouts wrote and decorated Christmas cards for veterans and military personnel.