Holley pays tribute to veterans for service to country
Speaker urges vets struggling with PTSD to seek help
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The American Legion in Holley hosted a Veterans Day ceremony today. Scott Galliford, the Legion commander, speaks during the service. Up front with him from left include Kevin Foley, Chuck Eberhardt and Mark James Morreall.
Galliford shared how Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I. It was changed to “Veterans Day” in 1954 to honor all veterans who have honorably served in the military.
Galliford had each veteran stand and be recognized during today’s service and gave them a chance to say when and where they served. Galliford said he was a “submariner” in the military from 1975 to 1979.
“I want to say to all of you guys, welcome home and welcome back,” Galliford said. “I’m impressed to be around this much honor and devotion.”
Dave Cole of Kendall speaks about his service in the military. He attended boot camp with Galliford and another one of their friends from Kendall, Stew Leverenz.
The Legion hall includes a banner, “We Support Our Troops – Come Home Soon!”
About 50 people attended the service.
Ron Boyd, a member Jewell-Buckman American Legion Post #529 in Holley and the Sons of the American Revolution, shares about a table set for prisoners of war and those missing in action.
David Shaffer served in the Army for three years beginning in January 1957. He said he was very lucky as his deployment had him in the German countryside for 30 months where he made many new friends.
Sue Johnson, the keynote speaker, asked for a moment of silence “for everyone who has lost lives to invisible wounds.” Johnson worked as an assistant chaplain in the Army and spent two years in Iraq.
In that role, she learned the importance of asking veterans how they are doing.
“Support each other, no matter what,” Johnson said.
She said political opinions, gender, sexual orientation should not be dividers in offering compassion to people.
The VA reports that an average of 17 veterans each day die by suicide, while America’s Warrior Partnership and Duke University said veteran suicides are underreported and as many as 24 veterans a day die on average from suicide.
PTSD and “the wounds we cannot see,” should be taken very seriously, Johnson said.
“It’s courageous to talk about those things and to get help,” she said.
Kevin Foley, a pilot during the Vietnam War, shared about joining the Army in 1968, and then being deployed to Vietnam. He received a Purple Heart and two Distinguished Flying Cross medals after being shot down and being determined to help his fellow soldiers.
Todd Klatt, a mechanic in the National Guard, is also the VFW post commander for eastern Orleans County. He has been deployed twice – to Bosnia and Qatar. He leaves for a third deployment in January, this time to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
