Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Joe Finch, adjutant for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4624 in Hubbell, gives U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman a gift after his Veterans Day address at the post dinner Saturday. Bergman, R-Watersmeet, also spoke in Rockland earlier Saturday.

HUBBELL — Veterans can often be hesitant to share their experiences with others, particularly those who haven’t served. But telling their stories is the best way to ensure their values live on, U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman said Saturday.

“I encourage and implore all of you veterans: tell your story,” he said. “Tell it to your friends. Tell it to your family. Tell it to the next generation. Because if you don’t, people will really not understand what you sacrificed.”

Bergman, R-Watersmeet, was the guest speaker at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4624’s Veterans Day dinner in Hubbell. Bergman retired from the Marine Corps as a lieutenant general in 2009, making him the highest-ranking combat veteran ever to serve in Congress.

Bergman recalled his first time meeting his father-in-law, at his wife’s family farm in Iowa. His father-in-law had served as a radio signalman for the Navy in the South Pacific at the same time Bergman’s father was serving aboard a destroyer. His father-in-law opened up to Bergman, telling stories about the front end of his tank landing ship getting blown off.

“He shared a story with his family that he’d been keeping inside him for 50 years, 60 years,” he said. “Whatever it was, you need to let your family know.”

Bergman also reflected on a pair of recent losses. He began the day in Ironwood, at the funeral of a cousin who had served in Korea. The day before, Bergman was in Texas, speaking at the funeral of Col. Edward C. Hertberg, his commanding officer as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

On their first day in Okinawa before heading out, Bergman remembered, Hertberg told the 44-pilot squadron he could only take 40 of them on the cruiser. The choice wouldn’t be a “popularity contest,” Hertberg told them — just his blunt assessment of who could get the job done. If something bad happens, he said, “I’m also going to be the one writing the letter home to your spouse, or your to your parents.”

“He was the kind of leader that I would follow anywhere,” Bergman said. “He was direct. He was honest. He cared about you. And by God, he was going to figure out a way to accomplish the mission. That’s what Marines do.”

After his speech, Bergman also took questions from the crowd. In keeping with the Veterans Day theme, he told them to keep the questions apolitical. He spoke on China as a long-term geopolitical rival, the pernicious effects of disinformation, and his reasons for running for office in the first place.

The post also celebrated the progress it has made in improving its building. Post Commander Frank Ozanich unveiled a plaque thanking the donors who helped make the building safer and more energy-efficient. Through sponsor families and hundreds of volunteer hours, the post replaced 15 single-pane windows with triple-pane windows, reducing heat loss. The post also removed four old air-conditioning units and insulated, weather-proofed and bricked the holes. The exterior, the bathrooms and the bar area were also freshly painted and interior lighting was swapped with new energy-saving equipment.

The post works closely with Lake Linden and Dollar Bay schools, and especially Michigan Technological University’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 400. Cadets volunteer at the post, including serving Saturday’s dinner. The post also supports the ROTC’s annual POW/MIA 5K run, the proceeds of which go to the post. Travis Yell, the squadron’s commander, presented the post with a $900 check.

“We have a really tight relationship with the VFW,” said Yell, a fifth-year student who plans to go into remote piloting. “We love to come out here and help them. They’re great people, and it’s great to hear their thoughts and opinions and wisdom imparted on us while we help them to beautify the place.”