Kansas City News Blog

By C.J. JANOVY

Photo by Elana Gordon/KCUR

Vince Gunter got a life-changing phone call Sunday morning.

He had no big plans for the day when he got a call from Barack Obama’s campaign asking if he’d be willing to introduce the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee at the Truman Memorial Building in Independence yesterday.

“I was overwhelmed and thrilled,” he says. “I said yes, and they asked me to write down some remarks and send to the campaign." Gunter says he just jotted down some bullet points about what the 4th of July means to him, his service in Iraq and why he feels Obama displays the best judgment to lead the country. "They called back and said they liked what they wrote and didn’t change a thing.”

Gunter, an attorney for Shook, Hardy & Bacon, says Obama’s campaign was looking for a veteran, someone who had served in Iraq, to introduce Obama’s speech on patriotism.

Gunter enlisted in the Navy to earn money for college and later went to law school at University of Missouri-Kansas City with the help of an ROTC program, served in the JAG Corps and was eventually called to active duty in Iraq. He doesn’t like to talk about what he did to earn his Bronze Star. “It’s just kind of weird,” he says. “I think it relates to a helicopter crash I was in where two soldiers lost their lives, but somehow, through the grace of God, I did not. I don’t think I displayed any exceptional valor.”

The United States of America says otherwise.

Vince Gunter, left, in al Hatra.

Gunter’s Bronze Star citation reads, in part:

“He almost lost his life when the Blackwater helicopter in which he was a passenger was clipped from behind from an Apache helicopter that was believed to have taken enemy fire. Although this event resulted in the death of the two Apache helicopter pilots, CPT Gunter was able to survive this tragic ordeal only by his calm instinctive reaction and coolness under the most extreme circumstances.”

The citation also praises his legal work while serving as trial counsel for the 917th Corps Support Group.

“CPT Gunter personally provided instruction on continually revised rules of engagement and in so doing provided those units with the ability to respond to serious threat situations with appropriate and approved courses of action.… CPT Gunter’s exceptionally meritorious service went well beyond even the highest expectations for those officers having much higher rank. His actions and exceptional service directly improved the command’s ability to support combat operations throughout Iraq.”

For everyone who didn’t get to hear Gunter's speech, here’s the written version:

Good morning. I would like to welcome everyone to this historic visit by Senator Barack Obama. I am Vince Gunter, a lifelong citizen of this great area, a former captain in the United States Army Reserves, a veteran of the Iraq War, and a proud supporter of Senator Obama.

These days leading up to our nation's celebration of its independence have always been my favorite time of year. It's hearing a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Listening to the Kansas City Symphony play Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever." And it's witnessing the joy of kids setting off their fireworks. These symbolic gestures and many others never fail to remind me why I love this country so much. The American Revolution hero Nathan Hale got it right when he said "my only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country."

In late 2004 I came close to making that ultimate sacrifice for this great country. The irony is that before leaving for Iraq, I spent weeks trying to calm the fears of my wife and mother, both of whom knew far too well the terrible costs of war. My mother's oldest brother had perished in the Pacific during WWII and my wife's father had suffered a disabling brain injury caused by a landmine during the Vietnam War. So, trying to reassure my wife and mother that they had little to worry about was no easy task.

Unfortunately, my attempts at reassurance took a big hit little more than a week after being in Iraq, when in December 2004 the Blackhawk helicopter I was flying in collided with another helicopter over the city of Mosul, resulting in the loss of two invaluable and heroic servicemen. That incident shook me to the core. Despite having over 11 years of military service as both an enlisted member and officer, I had not previously thought much about my own mortality. I also had not given much critical thought to the merits of my country's involvement in Iraq. As a soldier, I held true to the famous line from Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade, "ours is not to reason why." But since that time, I privately have been doing a lot of reasoning regarding my country's involvement in Iraq. It was during this process when I became convinced that our next president must be Senator Obama, who consistently has provided the best foresight, judgment and leadership on Iraq and the military.

Further demonstrating that Senator Obama cares about U.S. service members is his unwavering support to modernize the GI Bill. The GI Bill means much to me. It is one of the key reasons why I chose to follow in the footsteps of my father and eight uncles in joining the military. As a son of working-class parents, I could not have attended college without GI benefits. The unfortunate thing, however, is that even by the mid 1990s, when I went to college, my GI benefits were not enough to cover my full tuition. It took a full ROTC scholarship and six additional years of service for that.

Today, we are joined by someone who has a far more compelling story, one that would not have been possible in any other country on Earth.

His love for our country is rooted in both the unique opportunities it has offered him and countless others, but also the ideals it was founded on.

For his entire adult life, he has worked to promote those ideals and ensure the blessing of America for all citizens, as a community organizer, a civil rights attorney, a constitutional law professor, a State Senator, a US Senator, and now as a Presidential candidate.

It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome Senator Barack Obama to Independence today.

Before yesterday, Gunter had only seen Obama on television. In person, he says, the candidate is “ten times” more energetic and charismatic.

Gunter imagines he’ll never have another opportunity to participate in something so historic. “I do expect that he will be the president of the United States,” Gunter says. “We all have our 15 minutes of fame. That’s something I’ll definitely tell my daughter and hopefully my grandchildren one day.”

Regardless of what happens in the election, here's a salute to CPT Gunter.