What a beautiful location to have a VFW meeting! Nestled in the hills and mountains of Moab, we stayed and had our meetings at the Red Cliffs Lodge. It was a thrill to enjoy the on-site museum showcasing all of the movies made here. John Wayne, a personal favorite, made many of his movies on this very site. After seeing the actual scenery, I’m looking forward to watching his movies again with a renewed interest in the surroundings.
But, the real purpose of being here was to assist with the business of the VFW. State Commander Mark and Senior Vice Commander Dave were excellent hosts and I’ve never felt safer at a meeting—they served together on the same Special Forces team for many years while in the Army! The meetings were well attended and the briefings presented by VFW members and state of Utah officials were top notch. Even their congressional representative sent a recorded message thanking them all for their service as well as outlining many of the items in Congress he is working hard to get into law. The briefings, both live and virtual, from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Utah Governor’s Office of Veterans Affairs were not only informative but I was very impressed at the dedication shown by these officials. It’s clear that Utah takes veterans issues very seriously!
A personal highlight for me during this trip was being introduced to 90 year old Ewald Kuefner. Born in Germany in 1930, Ewald was pressed into service in the Hitler Youth for most of World War II and was even present during the fall of Berlin at the end. He presented me with a booklet he had written about his life, along with pictures and memories of that time. He emigrated to the United States and was drafted to serve with the Army in the Korean War. Even though he had become a citizen of our great Republic and was now fighting to defend democracy, he still encountered prejudice and bigotry from his fellow soldiers because of his past. Nonetheless, Ewald persevered and has had a good life in America. He has done great things for the VFW and is universally loved by all the comrades and auxiliary members in Utah.
I recently created a VFW Membership Badge, based on an actual 1920’s era VFW Badge, to begin the process of re-instilling pride in our great organization. Before leaving on this trip, and not really knowing why, I packed one of these Badges in my case. It was my great honor and pleasure to pin that badge on Ewald’s lapel during our banquet dinner Saturday night. I called out his name in my remarks and he marched up to the podium, standing at attention and standing so tall and proud. When I pinned that badge on him, I saw in his eyes what this moment meant. As he returned my salute, it hit me yet again why I love the VFW and all it stands for. Comrade Ewald, thank you for all you have done!
On a side note, Megan traveled with me to photograph the natural beauty of Utah and its national parks. I’ll leave you with one of her spectacular pictures, taken from our patio, with the Red Cliffs and Colorado River in the background, along with those beautiful stars.
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