Up and at ‘em, bright and early, we
headed to Milton Post 9796 for a hearty breakfast which included scratch
biscuits and homemade apple butter produced by the Post members themselves. Although Mama isn’t allowed to have any, she
certainly didn’t mind the wonderful aroma!
Milton Post works hard in their community and during the annual Pumpkin
Festival they take in a lot of donations from folks who can’t resist buying a
jar or two. From these donations the
members built their Post home and parking lot.
An interesting item on the wall at the Post was a framed copy of John
Clark, Jr.’s “War Emergency Diploma”.
John’s senior year in high school was interrupted by the bombing of
Pearl Harbor. John’s Uncle Sam invited
him to see the world and liberate it, so off he went. When he returned in May 1946, Milton High
School awarded John a special diploma in lieu of the one he was unable to earn
because he was off doing his patriotic duty.
Next stop, Alum Creek to see
the home Post of State Adjutant/Quartermaster Kevin, Bennie Padilla Post
4768. Although it’s a small Post by
membership, it’s a giant when it comes to community service. In 2018 they were the winners of the National
Community Service Award. Four Post members
distinguished themselves when the Commander died suddenly and they all stepped
up to take positions to keep the mission going.
I awarded my Junior Vice Commander coin to them for their courage and
faith in the VFW. Patricia Cantrell is
the current Commander and, in 1973, was in the first group of women to be
allowed to attend the Air Force Security Police Academy. She broke barriers then and she continues to
break them in her new role. The picture
shows us standing in their poppy garden, where steel poppies greet visitors as
they enter the building.
Our last Post stop was in Chesapeake
at the Dav-Lew-Welch Post 8363. There is
no Post home, no Post canteen. But at
their monthly meeting in the community center they always have an incredible 40
or so members show up … in a Post of only 90 members! I certainly wasn’t expecting the huge crowd
of veterans, town members, the Mayor, and three Gold Star Mothers waiting to
hear me speak. As I mingled in the crowd I was drawn to these women and
listened to their stories. One in
particular hit home as her son committed suicide after multiple tours in the
wars. For this crowd, I was moved to
speak about PTSD and the need to help our returning warriors. I shared my story and promised I would do all
I could in my position to continue our war on suicide. I believe I connected with this crowd; I saw
many knowing nods as I recounted the long battle of recovery I’ve endured.
From Chesapeake, we quickly drove to
Charleston to meet with Mr Dennis Davis, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia
Department of Veterans Affairs. The working
relationship the State VFW has with Secretary Davis and his office is off the
chart. They are working together to make
life better for all veterans. In areas
where things could be better, State Commander Vern held the Secretary’s feet to
the fire and politely got his point across that veterans need more access to
claims offices instead of the state closing them down. Secretary Davis got the message and promised
to do all he could to ensure more offices and more personnel would be
available. I was duly impressed!
We’re in Flatwoods tonight. Tomorrow… four more Post visits!
