As we navigate through one of the most divisive election seasons in American history and the dust settles, we find ourselves on one of the most unifying holidays, where Americans take a moment out of their busy lives to thank the veterans who helped keep this country free. This quote from the Veterans Affairs website summed it up perfectly: “A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.” [Author’s Note: This article is FREE and not behind a paywall. If/when any popups occur, please click to make them disappear and continue enjoying the article.]
For 71 years, the Corvette has brought Americans together. While we do have our lighthearted disagreements, there is no denying the bonds our beloved Corvette helps create, from waving to strangers in Corvettes as they pass by to the National Corvette Museum, which is bringing families together with its Family Delivery Program.
If there is one story that illustrates the connection between our Corvette, Country, and Veterans, it is this one from CorvSport founder and contributor Scott Kolecki. After this touching story, we have a small gallery of some of our favorite patriotic Corvettes.
The Veteran’s Corvette
The Story of an American Patriot and his American Dream.
“The story begins with the birth of the Chevy Corvette.
The birth of the Corvette came about as a byproduct of soldiers returning home after serving their country. The 1953 Corvette, designed by Harley Earl, was developed in response to the large number of two-door sports convertibles that soldiers were bringing back with them to the United States after being stationed in Europe. Since there was no American counterpart to cars being built by companies like Jaguar and Mercedes, Chevrolet decided to build one.
And the Corvette was born.
Since that time, the Corvette has become a cornerstone of the American Dream. For soldiers serving in the military, it has been an iconic symbol of freedom, and an objective to strive for while serving in their military careers. It also provided one soldier with a goal and an ambition that helped him keep his focus after being drafted into the Army.
John Adornetto and his 1969 Corvette
John Adornetto was drafted into the Army in 1968, the same year he turned 21 years old. He spent three months in boot camp at Fort Dix, and another three months in Advanced Infantry Training. After that, he was sent directly to Quang Tri in Vietnam, a small station, where he served in the infantry as a ‘leg man.’
Adornetto had always dreamed of owning a Corvette, even before he was drafted into the Army.
His military pay was not much. In 1970, the monthly salary for an enlisted soldier with less than two years of service was $133.20/month. Still, Adornetto, as a foot man serving in the infantry, received combat pay and overseas pay in addition to his basic Army salary.
He sent all of the money he earned to his mother. She saved all of it for him.
About a year into his service, Adornetto, along with other members of the infantry, were sent out via a military transport truck into the fields, where the truck struck a mine. ‘I just happened to lean over and got sprayed with shrapnel,’ said Adornetto. ‘(It) went into my shoulder.’ Adornetto was sent to a U.S. Army Hospital at Camp Zama in Japan for an operation on his shoulder to have the shrapnel removed and his shoulder repaired…” Continue Reading or Save For Later
Some Of Our Favorite Patriotic Corvette Pictures
Thanks again, Veterans, for your service to this country! If you want to keep up to date with all the fresh Corvette news and maintain a pulse on the lifestyle and culture of this exciting, iconic brand, CorvSport has the fastest-growing Corvette community on our Facebook page, with over 172,000 followers (53,000 since January 2023!). Come join other hardcore enthusiasts and say hello. This is Douglas B. signing off–click here if you would like to see more of my features.
