Thank You for Your Service: Minot veteran reflects on Veterans Day
Trending
For Frank Senn, a retired U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant, Veterans Day is more than just a date on the calendar - it's a family legacy spanning generations and being in a military-supported community he and his wife, Chris, have called home for many years.
Senn's connection to the military runs deep. His grandfather served in World War I and World War II, his father served in World War II, his son served in the Gulf War, and Senn himself served during the Vietnam War. His wife’s father served in the Navy.
Reflecting on his return from Vietnam, Senn noted how much society's perception of veterans has changed over the decades. For many in his generation, returning home was marked by hostility instead of gratitude.
“Veterans Day is a time for all these people to get together as a group, as a family,” Senn said. “We have a bunch of people in my generation who didn’t feel like they were real proud of being there because of the Vietnam War and the stuff that happened to us when we came back.”
Today, when strangers offer a simple “thank you for your service,” Senn said he receives it with much appreciation.
“I think they honestly mean it. A lot of them weren’t around during the Vietnam War, and they don’t understand the society the way it was then,” he said. “That stranger you never met saying ‘thank you for your service’ - that’s special.”
Originally, Senn said he planned to join the U.S. Navy to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, but life took a different path when he started dating Chris when they were in high school.
“I didn’t think the Navy was conducive to married life,” Senn said. “So I joined the Air Force.”
Senn enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1967, the day after his high school graduation and graduation party in northern California.
“When the party was over, I went over to the recruiter’s center. They took me down to Oakland (California) and I got sworn in,” he recalled. Because he was not yet 21, California law required his mother's permission to join -- and later he needed permission from both his mother and his commander to get married.
Shortly after their first son was born, Senn received orders for Vietnam, leaving six weeks after the birth.
The couple went on to spend 26 1/2 years together in the Air Force - a journey Senn said was a shared effort.
“I count her as being in there because she had to take care of the kids and do all the home stuff because I was gone a lot,” he said.
Senn arrived at Minot Air Force Base in 1984. While at Minot AFB he was with the 5th Bomb Wing. He retired from active duty in 1993.
Chris Senn spent 32 years in civil service, eventually serving as the executive secretary for the commander of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB.
Upon retirement, the Senns took a road trip across western United States looking for the ideal place to settle down.
“We pulled into Salt Lake, and I said, ‘Have we seen enough?’ And she says, ‘Yes, let’s go home and stay there,'” Senn said. Home was Minot.
“Minot is different than a lot of people think,” Senn said. “The city fathers and all the groups around here like the military, and they work hard to keep that forefront to the veteran.”
Today, Senn is active in local veteran outreach, including connecting fellow veterans with support networks like the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) of which he serves as commander. He believes the most vital service the community offers is a safe space for veterans to talk.
“When they get with other vets, they don’t have anything on their shoulders,” Senn said. “They can speak freely because usually those people went through the same thing. They understand where he’s at.”
At their home, Senn flies an American flag on a hill overlooking the property. It’s a daily reminder of his service and the bond shared by those who wore the uniform.
“It’s just to be proud that I got to serve and do my part,” he said.