Having completed his first marathon in 2015 at 78 years old, Bob Gravley had an idea.

A Korean War veteran, Gravley crossed the finish line of the OBX Towne Bank Marathon that day in Outer Banks, North Carolina, with a notion of hosting a marathon back home in Salem, Missouri. Salem, in all its rural splendor, is exactly 26.7 miles south of Rolla, Missouri, and Gravley believed it ideal for a marathon centered on veterans.

When he returned to Salem, Gravley presented his idea to American Legion Post 99, whose leadership agreed to sponsor the event. A Life member of VFW Post 6280 in Salem, Gravley then turned to his Post for help in managing the event.

“We needed a group of organizers to get things going,” Gravley said. “I was confident they could do all the organizing to get this event off the ground.”

Backed by Post 6280 Commander Eric Surles, Post members soon volunteered in support of the event, which by now Gravley had dubbed the Honoring our HEROES Marathon.

“Our Post involvement in the HEROES Marathon was a natural progression from our skydiving, kayaking and 5K events that we have sponsored in the past for national and state epilepsy foundations,” Surles said. “Learning from our experience in the past, we formed a committee of volunteers and planned for the event to happen one week after Veterans Day each year.”

Surles and Post 6280’s volunteer committee handled logistics, finding venues for the starting and ending of the races, insurance and runner transportation to the starting place, as well as food and drink and the proceeding ceremony to end the event.

When word spread, as it often does in small towns, Surles received additional support from VFW Post 2025 members in nearby Rolla, led by Commander Dwight Sundeen.

The inaugural Honoring our HEROES Marathon welcomed more than 200 participants, who could choose to run or walk the marathon, half-marathon or a 5K. They met in Rolla and drove 26.7 miles to Salem, where the races began for the day.

“We learned a lot the first year,” Surles said. “Like renting a building for a postrace party. It had to be done indoors because it is too cold in November to have a finish-line party outdoors. But we were also surprised at the number of runners from across the U.S. and even South Africa.”

EVENT ATTRACTS 500 RUNNERS ANNUALLY
The 2016 debut event also netted $10,000, which the HEROES committee donated to the AUSA Warrior in Need Fund at the nearby Army installation Fort Leonard Wood in the Missouri Ozarks, and the Dent County Veteran’s Emergency Fund.

“With our proximity to Fort Leonard Wood, we have a higher-than-average number of veterans in our area, and sadly, more than 1,000 live in poverty,” said HEROES Board President and Army veteran Richard LaBrash, a Life member of Post 6280. “It’s gratifying to see the number of veterans we have been able to help through this event.”

Since 2016, the Honoring our HEROES Marathon event has grown in size and scope, becoming a nonprofit organization several years ago, as well as welcoming more than 500 participants on average each year and raising more than $130,000 in support of veterans to date.

“Thanks to the support of our community, we’ve been able to donate more than $100,000 of the proceeds to local veterans causes since HEROES began,” Surles said. “It has helped us fund our Unmet Needs program, veterans’ medical transportation, training for service dogs, beautification of our local memorials at Veterans Park and support of our Gold Star families. It also helped us donate toward our St. James Veterans Home, as well as into many other local veterans charities.”

The Salem to Rolla marathon course also is U.S.A. Track and Field-certified now, which allows competitive marathoners to participate and use it as a qualifier for renowned national marathons such as the Boston Marathon, according to Surles.

The event’s size also has grown, incorporating several new races and unique ways to praise veterans and those killed in action.

“We have added a relay marathon, where teams of four runners divide the workload into 6-mile intervals before crossing together at the finish line,” said HEROES Race Director Marilyn Sweitzer. “We have also added a 10K, an Honor Walk half-mile and instituted the No Hero Left Behind initiative, where volunteers accompany the last runner/walker on the last three miles of the race.”

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT MAKES EVENT ‘UNIQUE’
The No Hero Left Behind initiative, according to Sweitzer, was something instituted after the inaugural event in 2016, a nod to retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Troy Hardwick, a Post 6280 Life member, who walked the half-marathon in full combat gear and rucksack. To symbolize the military’s code of “No Man Left Behind,” Hardwick crossed the finish line and turned around to accompany the last participant in.

“We also have made the last mile of the course an Honor Walk, a stretch honoring our local veterans by having their individual profiles and service [hung up along the route],” Sweitzer said. “This last mile also comes decorated with hundreds of flags and patriotic signs.”

In 2022, Missouri State Representative Ron Copeland (R-Mo.) procured 100 U.S. flags for the event, joining hordes of other veteran-based organizations that have continued to join the cause in some capacity.

From VFW Posts 6280 and 2025 to those in nearby Pulaski County (Posts 4956 and 4238), all members volunteer to help with logistics and setup of the course, according to LaBrash. But the HEROES marathon also receives ample support from others. The local Disabled American Veteran’s Chapter 49 preps lunch for runners, American Legion Post 99 supplies course monitors and Mission 22, a nonprofit devoted to ending veteran suicides, has a Gatorade stand along the 22nd mile of the route.

“I think that’s what makes our event so unique,” LaBrash said. “We have so many different veterans organizations involved. The South-Central Regional Veteran’s Group decorates Veterans Park along our route with flags, and the ROTCs and Student Veteran’s Resource Association at Missouri University of Science and Technology have all been involved. That is in addition to local law enforcement, Boy Scouts, church groups, businesses, the Lions Club, Shriners, Rotary clubs and a large cadre of soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood.”

As for Gravley, the Air Force and Korean War veteran continues to be a presence at the event he helped pioneer. Having run the first three years, he now walks the 10K alongside his grandchildren. The event provides him with an opportunity to mentor younger generations on the importance of service and patriotism.

“It is heartwarming to see all of us band together to say thank you,” LaBrash added. “This event is an homage to those who have given us the freedoms we enjoy – because our veterans paid the price.”

The eighth annual Honoring our HEROES Marathon is slated for Nov. 26.

This article is featured in the 2023 April issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

Following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 limitations, the anticipation surrounding the 13th annual Frank H. Martin Car and Truck Show last June at VFW Post 7155 in Trappe, Pennsylvania, led to its most profitable year ever.

Named in memory of Martin, a Post 7155 member who began running shows in 2007 to help raise money for children in need before his passing in 2010, the event helped raise more than $18,000 for a 3-year-old girl suffering from microcephaly since birth.

“It was an overwhelming success,” Post 7155 Quartermaster Karla Frank said. “It was the biggest it has been despite a two-year layoff. We at the Post were surprised by the community’s engagement and support on behalf of the young lady.”

With support from its Auxiliary, bar and kitchen staff, as well as Boys Scout Troop 7155, Post 7155 members opened their expansive outdoor space to host more than 500 spectators and 206 cars and trucks on display in the event on June 10.

The Post relied on entry fees, donations and sponsorships to raise the $18,000 on behalf of the beneficiary, Evelyn, a local girl whose single parent needed help to improve her daughter’s quality of life. Microcephaly is a condition in which a baby’s head is much smaller than expected, which can lead to epilepsy, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, hearing loss and vision problems.

Prior to the event each year, the recipient of the car show proceeds is chosen by the car show committee, which evaluates dozens of submissions from residents or groups in the communities in and
around Trappe, about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

“They receive entries from individuals or groups of people after conducting community outreach for months,” Frank said. “Then they vote on an individual that they think needs it most. This year, it happened to be the sweet Evelyn.”

Following the successful event, committee chairperson and car show co-founder Glenn Dunlap joined Post 7155 Commander Rich Cassey in presenting the $18,000 check to Evelyn’s family during a brief ceremony at Post 7155 on Sept. 25.

For the many Post 7155 members in attendance, the ceremony punctuated another successful feat in a long history of charity events hosted by the Post to enrich its community.

“Money raised toward a child in need goes a long way in acknowledging the positive impact Post 7155 makes within the community,” Frank said. “It’s our mission to never stop serving our community.”

Frank added that the Post is already planning its next annual tradition, a Bataan Death March Memorial event slated for April. This event’s proceeds will go toward the Post’s relief fund, as well as the
Semper Fi Fund, a California-based nonprofit that provides a variety of programs to assist wounded veterans.

This article is featured in the March 2023 issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

The unspoken bond between veterans brought an 18-year-old Purple Heart and its adjoined certificate into the hands of Russ Martin on a late morning last June.

A Vietnam veteran who often wears his 25th Infantry Division hat with pride, Martin was on his way home when he decided to stop by a local pawn shop in his hometown of Shelton, Connecticut, in
search of a power tool.

Entering the Shelton Pawn and Jewelry store downtown, Martin was met with an inquisitive look from the owner, a veteran himself, who noticed the Army’s 25th Infantry Division logo on Martin’s cap. This prompted an exchange that rerouted fate.

“He said, ‘I have something to give you,’ and went off to his safe,” said Martin, who deployed with the Army’s 25th Infantry Division to Cu Chi, Vietnam, from November 1966-1967. “When he came back, he had a Purple Heart and certificate in his hands.”

The Purple Heart and certificate had been issued to Army Reserve Master Sgt. Heather Awner, a former Connecticut resident now living in El Paso, Texas. She was the recipient of the Purple Heart after being wounded while deployed to Iraq in 2004. It was there that Awner suffered a severed tendon from a piece of shrapnel when the Army transport vehicle she was riding in struck an improvised explosive device.

Martin read the plaque and gathered his thoughts. The pawn shop owner told Martin that he had received the Purple Heart and citation as part of a collection of material from a storage unit. Then he asked Martin to return it to its rightful owner.

“I was surprised by this,” said Martin, a life member of VFW Post 9460 in Stratford, Connecticut, about 10 miles south of Shelton. “He said he had planned to take it to the VFW himself, but he saw my hat and decided to give it to me instead. I said OK. I took it [from him] and brought it home.”

Martin showed up to his home with the Purple Heart and certificate, telling his wife, Audrey, the story behind the unfortunate separation between the Purple Heart and its recipient. An active member of Post 9460, Martin resolved to take it to his Post at first. But Audrey, the Post’s Auxiliary chaplain and a Life member herself, asked her husband to let her try and contact Awner before making the
decision to take it to the Post members for their assistance.

“I was just moved by what Russ had told me of the owner keeping it in his safe and wanting to bring it to the VFW for help,” Audrey said. “I imagine when he saw Russ’ Vietnam Army hat, he knew he was giving it to the right person to return it.”

Audrey took to the internet, where she was quick in finding Awner’s contact information. There was an address and a number for her, and Audrey decided to send her a text message photo of the Purple Heart and plaque before calling and leaving a voicemail.

“Russ brought the Purple Heart home around noon, and by 1:29 p.m., I had sent her the text,” Audrey said. “Heather called us right away and had no idea that it was even missing.”

Though Awner has refrained from comment due to legal counsel (there is a pending lawsuit filed against Oakdale Self Storage, the Connecticut-based storage company that Awner used to store her belongings), Audrey recalled the Purple Heart recipient crying over the phone after the harsh reality that items from her time in Iraq had been sold off without notice.

Awner, who plans to retire from the Army, coordinated with Audrey on a way to have her Purple Heart returned. Despite being unable to travel to Connecticut for it, Awner had the Martins meet with a family member in town for the return instead.

“It was on Father’s Day,” Audrey said of the June 19 meeting. “Her sister’s father-in-law, Chuck Garbor, a retired Navy commander who lives in Stratford, came to the Post and picked up the Purple Heart and certificate for her.”

The return of the Purple Heart to its recipient was a special moment for Audrey and Russ, who still keep in contact with Awner. For the Martins, the good deed was the reward itself.

“It was an honor and a privilege to be able to do that for her,” Audrey said. “I know it meant so much to her to have that back.”

This article is featured in the March 2023 issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

In a tightknit community like that of Bennington, Vermont, whispers of heartache tend to grow into a rallying cry strong enough to summon all residents from downtown to its outskirts.

When these whispers about 2-year-old Finley Scanlon spread across town in early spring of 2022, it prompted VFW Post 1332 members to lead a fundraising eff ort alongside other local organizations to raise more than $56,000 by July 15.

“I have two daughters and granddaughters, and nobody wants to hear that their child has cancer,” Post 1332 Commander Norm LeBlanc said. “I’ve been fortunate to not have that happen to me, but sometimes you just have to pay it forward.”

Scanlon had been diagnosed with a rare form of bladder cancer, prompting her mother to take a leave of absence as an elementary school teacher and her father to make up the financial shortfall by taking on extra shifts at work. With daycare an improbable option as chemo and radiation could tear down the body’s defenses against all kinds of infections, including COVID, the family sought help from a community well-prepared for the fight.

The first to hear of it was Norshaft Lions Club President Matt Gras, whose first call was to LeBlanc at Post 1332 based on the Post commander’s reputation to take charge and execute a plan of attack.

Together, the Post and Lions Club members dubbed their efforts under a unifying banner of “Together We Are Stronger,” reaching out to other local organizations that included the Cancer Crusaders, Eagles, Elks, Rotary Club and American Legion Post 13.

“We started knocking on club doors, showing up to their private meetings to talk about what this young family was about to endure,” said LeBlanc, who retired in 2012 from the Navy as a senior chief following a 24-year career. “Each meeting went well. They all wanted to help.”

With VFW and American Legion Auxiliary groups and Riders of the VFW and Legion also joining the cause, LeBlanc then proposed a combined fundraising effort that scoured Bennington for donations.

Under LeBlanc’s leadership, the clubs and organizations each united in helping host a spaghetti dinner and several raffle events, which later prompted a Post 1332 member, Tim Jones, owner of Eagle Hose Auto in Bennington, to start the “Rev Up” challenge. All local dealerships soon began donating more than $500 each, and it eventually snowballed into everyone with a motor in a car or lawnmower to donate as well.

But LeBlanc was not done brainstorming. He then sacrificed his beloved gray beard, which he had not cut in more than a decade since retiring from the military.

“I didn’t want to cut my beard, but it was a challenge and we always try to just shoot for the moon,” LeBlanc said. “I think the noblest gestures in the world require sacrifice. If you can stand at the front of the line and lead by example, it motivates people to do the same.”

On July 15 at the event, LeBlanc, true to his word, sat in the barber’s chair and by 8:30 p.m. raised an additional $5,000 from neighbors and residents delighted to see how far the former Navy senior chief was willing to go.

The clean-shaven LeBlanc joined the others for the rest of the night, each effort and challenge helping raise a combined $56,000, which representatives of each club and organization then together presented in the form of a check to the Scanlons.

“It was special to see how extremely grateful and humbled the family was,” LeBlanc said. “They were also able to see the faces and meet the people who worked so tirelessly to bring this together. It was a fitting example of what can be accomplished when we work together.”

This article is featured in the 2023 February issue of VFW magazine and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

Toni Johnson has been riding horses since she was a young girl. Today, she rides Napoleon, a Morgan quarter horse with the Arizona VFW Rangers Mounted Color Guard.

Established in 2008 by four Vietnam War veterans from VFW Post 10254 in Tucson, Arizona, the group’s mission is fourfold. It promotes veterans, the nation’s flags, patriotism and VFW/Auxiliary membership.

Johnson, treasurer of VFW Post 5990’s Auxiliary in Marana, Arizona, said the group of nearly 20 – the Rangers have numbered as many as 50 in the past – participates in parades and memorial services all over the state.

“I grew up on horses and have been riding with the Rangers since 2013,” said Johnson, who also is the group’s adjutant. “We also have participated in homecomings for commanders and Auxiliary presidents.”

Johnson, who earned her Auxiliary eligibility through her grandfather, a World War II vet, said there are typically seven horses. Riders carry the U.S. flag, the POW flag, the Arizona flag and the Honor Service flag.

“We are proud to present retirement flags to servicemen,” Johnson said. “We also have the honor of participating in send-off ceremonies and welcome home events for troops.”

Another aspect of the Rangers Mounted Color Guard is its education component. Flag etiquette classes are held in the summer for youth.

Johnson said the group requires membership in either the VFW or Auxiliary. She added that they have signed up members after people have expressed an interest in joining the Rangers.

“This has been an amazing experience for us,” Johnson said. “A lot of people don’t realize what horses can do. It is really something when little kids stand and put their hands over their hearts, as well as the veterans who are able to. It is a great honor to be a part of this.”

For more information and to see additional photos, follow the Arizona VFW Rangers Mounted Color Guard on Facebook at Facebook/VFWRangers.

This article is featured in the 2023 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.

A VFW Post in the Garden State will host its third free food truck event on April 13. The Post’s commander said that the event aims to represent the diversity of the community.

VFW Post Commander Maria Hamlin said that over the past couple of years, members of VFW Post 493 in Nutley, New Jersey, have increased community and veteran outreach.

“We discussed hosting some events that had not been done at our VFW Post and would bring the community and our veterans together,” said Hamlin, an Air National Guard veteran. “Food always brings people together, no matter your ethnicity or cultural upbringing.”

While the event is free, the Post accepts donations from those attending. Hamlin, who served with the 108th Air Wing, said donations received benefit VFW programs such as the VFW National Home, Buddy Poppy program, Patriots Pen, Voice of Democracy and VFW Department of New Jersey programs.

“Donations also benefit revitalization efforts at our Post,” said Hamlin, who is an operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom veteran. “Our building is more than 100 years old, and we are doing our best to restore it for our veterans as well as our community to enjoy.”

Hamlin said that the events are a “great way to bridge the gap” between veterans, older and younger, and community members.

“This is our third food truck event, and we are hoping it will be our best,” said Hamlin, whose husband, Herb, is the Post’s quartermaster and adjutant. “We’ve invited back some of our favorite food trucks but are hoping to add a couple more. Nutley is becoming a very diverse town and we want to represent that diversity at all levels, including the type of food we serve at our events.”

Hamlin said that the first food truck event hosted about 1,000 people. She added that the events would not have happened without the support of Post and its Auxiliary members.

“Our Auxiliary, led by Dee Robertella, always lends a helping hand,” Hamlin said. “The majority of our events are family oriented so our members can enjoy spending time with their families and their families can see the work we are doing in our community and for our veterans.”

At April’s food truck event, there will be music by DJ Rob Frannicola, whose late father is a veteran. The Post also will accept nonperishable food items for a local pantry.

Hamlin, an All-American Post commander, said that while the event is not aimed to be a recruitment drive, Post 493 membership has increased since the inaugural event.

“When local veterans see the work we are doing, they want to join and be a part of our great organization,” Hamlin said. “We are proud to say that we are #StillServing.”

Every Friday, VFW Post 6461 members in Fountain, Colorado, host a dinner on behalf of a cause or simply to come together in camaraderie. On Feb. 10, however, the dinner was a rallying call for an Air Force veteran and Fountain Police officer on life support.

Post 6461 was filled to the brim with hundreds of people supporting Julian Becerra, 35, who police said fell 40 feet off a bridge while pursuing a carjacking suspect in Colorado Springs earlier in the week.

“This was beyond my expectations,” said Steve Kjonaas, a former VFW Department of Colorado commander. “I knew there was going to be a lot of people there, but I’ve never seen so many people inside this building.”

Kjonaas joined Post 6461 Commander Travis Baker and Post members in helping raise funds from the benefit dinner on behalf of Becerra, who had served just four years in the police department since his service in the Air Force.

For Baker, the story of Becerra had a deep-rooted connection to his own.

“Nine years ago this year, I fell 50 feet off of the side of a mountain and that ended my military career,” said Baker, whose military career spanned 23 years prior to his injury. “Then we found out that he was not only police, but an Air Force veteran. That brought it even more to heart for us veterans of the VFW.”

Though Becerra remained on life support throughout that Friday night, the Air Force veteran died the next night at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, according to police officials. He is survived by his wife and two children.

The money raised, more than $5,750, will be presented to the surviving family during a Fountain city council meeting on March 14.

Last month, VFW Post 8904 in Center, Texas, commemorated the 266 Americans who died when the USS Maine exploded in the Havana, Cuba, harbor on Feb. 15, 1898, during the Spanish-American War.

According to Post 8904 Quartermaster Larry Hume, the USS Maine remembrance ceremony is just one of more than 25 events the Post schedules throughout the year to honor veterans and historic events impacting the United States.

“We do these ceremonies because we do not want any veterans group to be forgotten,” said Hume, a Gold Legacy Life member.

Center is the county seat for Shelby County. Most of the Post’s ceremonies are held in the town square at the county courthouse where a veterans memorial sits. During the USS Maine ceremony, a wreath was placed at the memorial.

Hume read the names of six Shelby County residents who were associated with the Spanish-American War: Elijah Webb, Edwin A. Booth, Brunson Cline, Charles Hudson, Charlie E. Matlock and James Mosby Jr.

Post 8904 Commander Richard Lundie played Taps to conclude the remembrance ceremony.

Hume said that while the ceremony was attended largely by Post and Auxiliary members, the local newspapers regularly publicize the Post’s events. The Light & Champion newspaper wrote a lengthy piece on the USS Maine event, according to Hume.

“The newspapers are always there,” Hume said of the coverage. “We have developed a good relationship with them over the years. They give us front page coverage whenever they can.”

Hume said the events are advertised in the newspapers and on the radio.

“It’s sad to say, but we don’t get a lot of attendees outside the Post and Auxiliary,” Hume said. “Of course, on Patriot’s Day, we always have a good turnout just as we do on Memorial Day.”

Does your Post conduct similar ceremonies? If so, let us hear about it. Email JDyhouse@vfw.org.

Members of a Sunflower State VFW Post on Jan. 23 gave their respects to a World War II veteran on his 100th birthday.

VFW Post 11499 in Basehor, Kansas, held a birthday celebration for Wilbur Grisham’s century of living. Grisham, a retired Army tech sergeant, is a longtime Life member of the VFW Post and still attend Post meetings, said VFW Post 11499 Commander David Babin.

“He’s respected in the community,” Babin said. “Not only is he a World War II veteran, but he was also a postal carrier in town and drove a school bus. As a fireman, he was instrumental in getting the first firetruck in eastern Kansas, too. He’s such a humble man.”

Grisham was at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. According to Babin, Grisham cared for the wounded from the attack.

Babin also said Grisham has donated thousands of dollars to the Post to buy life memberships for veterans he thought deserved it.

“Because of his age, he doesn’t help much with setting up events, but he is very active and participates in everything we do.

In recognition of the 100-year milestone, the mayor of Basehor, Dick Drennon, declared Jan. 23, 2023, as “Clyde Wilbur Grisham Day” in the town.

Within a large and darkened nightclub accentuated by the pink glow of neon lights and computer screens, Afghanistan War veteran Hunter DeSander watched as young video gamers and veterans converged in a whirlwind inspired by his fourth annual Combo Con.

The Sept. 23-25, 2022, weekend festival at Wayside Central in Mount Pleasant. Michigan, proved a success for DeSander, who reveled in a soundtrack of incessant keyboard click-clacks, reverberating laughs, shouts and loud waves of “oohs” and “aahs” from about 400 attendees.

“Even though we only made enough to cover expenses after a two-year layoff due to COVID, people loved the cause,” said DeSander, a former VFW Post 4113 commander in St. Johns, Michigan, and current junior vice commander of VFW’s Department of Michigan’s District 9.

A video game enthusiast himself, the 29-year-old DeSander spent most of the weekend pacing from screen to screen, huddle to huddle, eavesdropping on conversations between older veterans and younger gamers, many from different countries, as his vision played out.

For DeSander, whose Combo Con livestream brought an additional 3,000 viewers to watch the action between some 150 gamers competing against one another for cash prizes, the exposure was his unique way of promoting the VFW and what it does for veterans.

All those in attendance virtually and in person joined intermittent games hosted by DeSander throughout the weekend, which included renowned online gamers that came from as far away as Ireland to support the cause.

“I was told many times by spectators that they didn’t think the VFW could do such a thing,” said DeSander, who served as an infantryman in Afghanistan in 2013 with the 2nd Bn., 506th Inf., 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Abn. Div.

“Our big-time gamers, not being from this country, loved the VFW and what it represented enough to genuinely show their love and promote it on their platforms to a global audience.”

Gaming community sensations with gamer names such as Woolie VS, Unrooolie and Super Eye Patch Wolf spent their off -time playing military trivia and mingling with veterans in the audience, many offering them a perspective on what it’s really like to be the characters they use in war games such as Call of Duty.

For Unrooolie, a tenured gaming community persona dating back to the 1990s and whose real name is Kenny O’Brien, the festival’s mission to help veterans is the main reason he continues to come back.

“Many members of the fighter-game community have served in the military,” O’Brien said. “We get a lot of messages from community members that are like, ‘Hey, I’m stationed over here, and we watch your [online video] streams and we watch you play fighting games, and it’s helped us get through tough times.”

‘THIS IS ABOUT LENDING THEIR VOICE TO OURS’
Many of the veterans in attendance served as volunteers helping DeSander run his fourth Combo Con, helping set up and pick up, as well as manning a VFW booth for membership that juxtaposed a row of
other booths with collector’s items such as comic books and paintings.

DeSander strategically placed VFW at the helm of the booths, spotlighted to remind gamers that the unique setup of the festival served not just the gaming community but as a connection between them and veterans.

“By bridging the gap with Combo Con, we’re also raising morale for our VFW District and pushing awareness to show that we are keeping up with the times and adapting,” DeSander said.

“Many of us younger veterans feel disenfranchised, and this event proved the community does have the best interest in mind for them.”

Among the veterans helping run the event and spreading awareness, many were Vietnam veterans who did not play video games themselves. For them, the notion of younger veterans feeling disenfranchised is a familiar one.

“We want to make younger veterans understand why it’s important to belong despite their busy lives,” said Shane Houghton, a Vietnam veteran who served with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Danang. “This is about lending their voice to ours in order to keep getting veterans their much-deserved benefits.”

Houghton, a past All-American District 9 commander and current quartermaster at Post 12083 in Iona, Michigan, joined as a volunteer following DeSander’s proposal at a District 9 meeting. The idea of bridging a gap between young civilians and veterans through a unique festival featuring video games, cosplay and comic books seemed enticing.

“It really is an interesting thing to get young people involved to learn something about the VFW,” Houghton said. “This seems like a new and unique way of teaching younger people about our organization and about veterans in their language. And they seemed very appreciative about what we do at VFW.”

Post 4113 life member and Vietnam veteran Gordon Shipley shared a similar sentiment after hours of mingling with the gaming community in attendance. Though Shipley had volunteered for Combo Con in past years, the festival always brings an element of novelty.

“This is a great way to advocate for veterans’ causes, and they have all been very polite and thanked me for my service,” said Shipley, who deployed to the Navy’s Small Craft Repair Facility in Danang from July 1968 to July 1969. “Many of the younger people don’t necessarily know veterans, and this has been a novel opportunity to teach and let them appreciate what veterans go through.”

CHALLENGING PRECONCEIVED IDEAS
DeSander’s efforts throughout the weekend also helped solidify about $6,000 in fundraising to cover expenses and procure a donation on behalf of District 9 to the Humane Society in Michigan.

But the Afghanistan War veteran stood firm when explaining what he believed the real success of the festival was: his ability to blur the lines between two communities through the use of video games, cosplay, comic books and movies.

A person with pieces of himself placed within the VFW, young veterans’ community and the gaming world alike, DeSander’s perspective sits outside the box of norms.

Already working toward the fifth annual Combo Con next year, DeSander hopes that as his event continues to grow, so will his ability to further unite all communities together.

“There’s mutual acceptance when gaming, as if finding the perfect dance partner,” DeSander said. “To be relevant in this day and age, we have to keep progressing as an organization. And that’s why I do this. I believe that the rising of the tide brings up all ships.”

This article is featured in the 2023 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.