Heralded as “America’s Patriotic Home” with many streets clothed in the proverbial red, white and blue, Hawthorne, Nevada, provided a fitting backdrop last year for a robust display of patriotism.

For the first time since 2016, the collaboration between Western Nevada College (WNC) and VFW Post 2313 in Hawthorne reintroduced the renowned Always Lost: A Meditation on War exhibit as a public display in September.

The exhibition, which began as a creative writing class project at WNC’s Carson City campus in 2009, had gone dormant after a seven-year barnstorming tour to more than 50 venues across the country.

When approached by WNC’s faculty early in 2021, Post 2313 Commander C.J. Schulz and his fellow members were both humbled and honored to have an opportunity to serve as the exhibit’s long-term host.

“It caught me off guard because they reached out first,” said Schulz, who deployed with the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division to Korea in 1994-95. “It meant a lot to us to be able to bring something to our town that represents the sacrifice many of our younger veterans and their families have made.”

Following a six-month period of legal contracts and a steady stream of conversations, Schulz received the Always Lost: A Meditation on War exhibit in August and decided to unveil it on Sept. 10, 2021.

Like Schulz and other members of Post 2313, the unveiling prompted emotions for many northern Nevada residents who stopped by to see the exhibit. It featured an array of literary works that sit alongside more than 7,000 faces of veterans who perished during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars from Sept. 11, 2001, to Dec. 31, 2014.

Along with the literary works by WNC students, veterans and their families, the exhibit also carries a display of combat photographs by a 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning team from The Dallas Morning News. Other items include original poetry by Army Spc. Noah C. Pierce, who died by suicide after serving two tours in Iraq.

“The whole thing is pretty powerful,” Schulz said. “The poetry on the wall along with the photographs is one of those things that hits very close to home. Many of our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can’t talk about it. I have a hard time myself because I also have friends on the wall.”

For most of the northern Nevada and Hawthorne residents drawn into the Post’s exhibit room since the opening last year, Schulz believes many are searching for a level of closure in finding loved ones within the 7,000 faces.

“The first day, I remember one of the families that showed up had his big brother on the wall,” Schulz said. “For me, it had been so long since I had seen some of my friends, but I wasn’t sure if I had lost them. It brought me closure to find them.”

The Always Lost: A Meditation on War exhibit is slated to remain at VFW Post 2313, about 315 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for a five-year period with a possibility for renewal, according to Schulz.

Admission is free for all visitors wanting to visit the exhibit, which is showcased daily from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This article was featured in the 2022 April issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

1st Lt. Ashley White was serving as a member of a Cultural Support Team attached to a Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan when she was killed on Oct. 22, 2011. On Jan. 10, the Villagers for Veterans and Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter in Eustis, Florida, broke ground for Ashley’s House, a transition home for female veterans.

White is one of hundreds of veterans whose stories have been told by Bob Peters, a Vietnam veteran and host of the Central Florida Salute YouTube channel.

A Life member of VFW Post 201 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Peters retired to Leesburg, Florida, with his wife several years ago. In 2009, Lake Front TV in Leesburg approached local AMVETS members to see if they would be interested in doing programs on veterans and veterans issues.

Peters offered the names of some folks whom he thought would make good subjects for the station’s reporters to interview.

Producers at Lake Front TV told Peters, however, they were interested in having him conduct the show. In 2010, Peters began the first of nearly 10 years on air profiling veteransthroughout Florida. When the news station changed ownership, there also was a change in editorial direction.

Peters parted ways. Videographer Sue Cameron of Wild Zebra Media, who had worked with Peters on Lake Front TV, told him he needed to continue his work. She suggested a YouTube channel.

Students from Leesburg High School had built a set at the TV station for Peters, and he took it with him when he left. Eagles Aerie 4273 in Okahumpka, Florida, gave him studio space, which is where he airs the show unless he’s taping on location in the community.

Peters said he receives no funding for the show, and any donations he does receive, he passes on to Cameron, who volunteers her professional expertise.

“Sue believes in this project and wants to help,” Peters said. “She is an absolute professional.”

Cameron said that while she did not serve in the military, she wants to support veterans in any way she can.

“I understand the importance of what they did for our country,” she said. “I am appalled by the fact our young people are not aware of the sacrifices and hardships our veterans endured. Recently, Bob was speaking with some high school students. They made a comment that Hitler wasn’t such a bad guy. They should watch Bob’s interview with holocaust survivor Gene Klein.”

‘I HAVE A GOOD TIME DOING THIS’
On Central Florida Salute, Peters has interviewed everyone from Iraq War vet Jason White and Afghanistan veteran Sebastian Lajeunesse to WWII veteran Quentin Brelsford. He hosts veterans’ advocacy groups and talks about topics of concern to veterans.

White is seen on camera in other Central Florida Salute episodes. One such show took viewers on the road to the Marion County Veterans Exhibit and Education Center in Ocala.

“This is a place of solace and camaraderie,” White said on the show. “For me, it’s like my church.”

Peters hosts Vietnam and Korean War veterans. He has talked about Wreaths Across America and taken viewers on tours of places such as St. Johns Hops, a veteran farming community. Medal of Honor recipients and a former Olympian have appeared as well. He has had Gold Star parents such as Deborah White, mother of Ashley White, on his show.

“I really appreciate the men and women who serve our country and the things they have been through,” said Peters, who served four years in the Air Force. “I’d really like to see a Heroes Day established. It would be for the doctors, nurses, police, fireman, and of course, veterans. Just to offer our ‘thank you’ for what they do.”

A frequent sponsor of Central Florida Salute is Project SOS-Support Our Soldiers, established by Gary Kadow in 2009. Project SOS helps military personnel serving overseas as well as disabled and homeless veterans.

“I have a good time doing this,” Peters said. “It’s a lot of work, sure, but I have a great bunch of people to help me out.”

‘RAISED TO DO THIS TYPE OF WORK’
Peters, who was born and raised in Connecticut, has a long history of volunteerism. He said it’s something his parents instilled. When he was just a teen, Peters and his brother, Bill, volunteered to coach Special Olympics. He continued on that path until he joined the Air Force.

In the Air Force, Peters served from 1967 to 1971, the majority of that time in U-Tapau, Thailand, with the 509th Field Maintenance Squadron. There, he worked on every aspect of the B-52s.

After the military, Peters became a lineman for Connecticut Light and Power but still found time for his volunteer endeavors, particularly when it came to veterans’ causes.

“I’ve really been involved with the veteran community for more than 35 years,” Peters said. “In my hometown of Oxford (Connecticut), I helped create a veterans park before moving to Florida. I was raised to do this type of work.”

Peters said he is proud of his family’s military service, which includes his uncle Ed who served in the Signal Corps during WWII, and another uncle, Ted, who received a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on D-Day.

Ted had no children and wanted part of his estate donated to the greenhouse at the Rock Hill Connecticut veterans home. Peters made sure that happened.

“That’s my uncle’s legacy,” Peters said. “The vegetables grown in that greenhouse help feed the veterans in the home.”

Noting this is Peters’ 13th year interviewing veterans, Cameron said it’s “an honor” to assist him.

“He has never taken a dime for what he does, either,” she said. “His passion to educate and honor veterans is infectious.”

Peters also appears on WQBQ-1410 AM every Friday with radio station owner James Floyd and retired Col. Rick Baysinger. They discuss veterans’ issues and resources.

“It’s just a thrill for me to do all of this,” Peters said. “It’s not about me. It’s about the people who support me. After all, no one does anything alone.”

This article is featured in the 2022 April issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.

Members of VFW Silver State Post 3396 in Sparks, Nevada, are looking forward to the inaugural VFW Day of Service as an opportunity to give back to their community and build connections.

When deciding how they would participate in the event, Post members went straight to those who their contributions would affect.

“We talked with the City of Sparks to find a location that needs our support, They pointed us to Victorian Avenue,” said David Sousa, Post Quartermaster and Adjutant.

Together with other local partners, including 39 North, Nevada Energy and Humana, Post members will lead an area beautification project to pick up trash and plant flowers and shrubs. They will also host a food drive benefitting the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and in support of the VFW and Humana “Uniting to Combat Hunger” campaign.

When asked what makes him most proud of his Post, Sousa said, “the dedication to service before self.”

That dedication extends well beyond the VFW Day of Service. The 218-member Post is a fixture in its community. It supports a variety of causes, including the City of Reno’s Military Sports Camp, a VA hospital nursing scholarship program and camaraderie-focused events like Operation Battle Born March and the Bataan Memorial Death March.

Post members are eager for another chance to give back and inspire others to do the same.

“We are excited [for VFW Day of Service] to show our community how dedicated we are to serving and how they can help our organization make this a better place for all,” said Sousa.

There’s still time to participate in the inaugural VFW Day of Service, happening all month long in May. Visit vfw.org/DayofService for more information to let us know how you plan to serve.

“Since the beginning, VFW Post 9126 decided we wanted to provide a healing and safe environment for veterans,” said State Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster Andrea Melcher.

The Post, located in Glenpool, Oklahoma, is making good on its promise through its wealth of programs, resources and general willingness to do whatever it takes to help a veteran in need.

“We have spent countless hours repairing vehicles, homes and trailers for needy and disabled veterans,” said Melcher. “We even rebuilt a camper for a homeless veteran and their family living in a dangerous situation.

“And many members have provided transportation to and from VA appointments, VFW meetings and events or simply helped a veteran with a ride to the grocery store.”

In addition to these acts of kindness, VFW Post 9126 has created programming to address mental health within the local veteran population. At Warrior’s Night, veterans are invited to network with one another to build trust and develop friendships in a safe and controlled environment.

The Post also established Warrior’s Hope, a 12-week program designed to help veterans and their families who are affected by Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and moral injuries.

“Every one of us has answered the call and gone to war. But what happens when you get home? The U.S. military has the best training programs in the world! For some of us, that button didn’t switch from ‘on’ to ‘off’ when we came home,” explained Melcher.

“This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. You’re doing what you were trained to do. It’s our goal to help give veterans struggling with PTS or a moral injury a new mission and to set them on a new path. In the military, you had battle buddies that had your six. We want to create places for veterans to meet new battle buddies!”

Post Commander John L. Shimp agrees. It comes down to being there for one another.

“To me, the VFW means hard work, late hours, blood, sweat and tears. However, it also means comradeship,” said Shimp. “It’s that feeling when you’ve done a good job, but it’s more than that because you’ve done a good job helping out your fellow veterans and your community, and what’s better than that?”

Through all its efforts, the Post strives to bring together veterans from all generations to let them know they are part of a community – one that they can turn to in good times and bad. The VFW is proud to honor the members of Post 9126, who are #StillServing in such important ways.

A VFW Post in the Equality State late last year provided much-needed aid to the military community. Post members have been fighting food insecurity, which is a widespread issue among veterans and military families.

VFW Post 11453 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and others in the community gathered a total of 12,061 pounds of food for the city’s Veterans’ Rock Thrift Store, which has a food pantry. Post members also congregate at Veterans’ Rock for their monthly meetings.

Since October, Post 11453 has supported the Veterans’ Rock Food Bank through food drive events. Post members volunteered for Veterans’ Rock’s 2021 Thanksgiving drive, and the event garnered about 5,500 pounds of donated food. Soon after, Post members volunteered for the Remembering Our Veterans on Pearl Harbor Day Food Drive in December, which brought in 5,690 pounds of donations. The remaining 871 pounds of food came from other entities in the city.

VFW Post 11453 Commander Justin Tripp said Veterans’ Rock was created because of the need to assist veterans in Wyoming.

“We at the Post helps them with whatever they need,” said Tripp, who served in the Navy. “We do it because a lot of veterans, unfortunately, need a lot of assistance. Volunteer organizations are needed to help veterans and their families with basic needs, such as food.”

The Post’s efforts align with VFW and Humana’s mission to stop food insecurity through the Uniting to Combat Hunger program. For its work, the Post received a $500 grant through the VFW Foundation for its work.

As part of their mission, Post 11453 members built a “Little Free Pantry” outside of the Veterans’ Rock store. It allows those who need food to obtain it after Veterans’ Rock operating hours.

“The VFW is a very charitable organization,” Tripp said. “We want to continue serving by helping our communities and especially the veterans’ community.”

Veterans have long had a penchant for volunteerism and community service work. To recognize that service, in February 2020, VFW launched its #StillServing campaign aimed at showcasing the volunteer endeavors of VFW members across the globe. Since then, thousands of stories have been posted online at vfw.org/StillServing.

VFW Director of Communications Randi Law said the many stories of VFW members contributing their time to volunteer efforts sparked the idea to showcase what the organization does as well.

“The inaugural VFW Day of Service is planned for May,” Law said. “We hope that VFW Posts work with other organizations and civic groups to achieve great things within the community.”

While the VFW Day of Service is scheduled for the first Saturday in May, Posts can select any day throughout the month to complete its service work.

While anyone can participate in the VFW Day of Service, those looking to volunteer are asked to work with a VFW Post.

Law noted that in 2021, a focus group comprised of younger veterans was asked about their perceptions of VFW. Then, the group was shown a selection of #StillServing stories, and the group’s opinion of VFW improved by several points. The overwhelming questions the individuals in the group had was about how to get involved.

“VFW Day of Service will increase ties between veterans and their communities,” Law said. “It also will bring veterans of all generations together. A lot of younger veterans are looking to be leaders in their communities, and this is a way.”

To get started, individuals and Posts should visit www.VFWDayofService.org to fill out a brief form expressing interest, then reach out to another community group and make plans for a Day of Service in May.

Perhaps the city park needs a good cleanup or a community center needs some much-needed maintenance. Do you know of elderly residents who could use assistance sprucing up their yards before summer? What about helping at a local food pantry? The possibilities are endless, Law said.

“The VFW Day of Service also is about camaraderie, which is important now more than ever,” Law said. “And it is about taking all the great things VFW is already doing and letting the world know.”

If one were to look at communities across the country, the overwhelming image that presents itself is that veterans outnumber non-military civilians in voting booths and volunteering missions.

The notion that veterans interact and insert themselves into community volunteer opportunities more than non-military civilians despite little recognition for their involvement gained merit with a new civic health survey published last November.

“There’s a narrative out there, where veterans hear that they’re broken or that they need help,” said Mary Beth Bruggeman, president of The Mission Continues, one of the many veteran-based nonprofits behind the survey. “Organizations like ours exist to remind [veterans] that while they may need some help, in fact, the community needs [their] help.”

The report, which surveyed more than 60,000 U.S. households, accentuated prior findings by civic health studies that showed veterans engage at a higher rate across an array of community activities and volunteer opportunities throughout the country.

Some of the data gathered from the survey showed that veterans, on average, accrue 95 hours of volunteer work in a year, which is 21 hours more than non-veterans. The survey also showed that veterans are more likely to register as voters than their counterparts by a margin of 75 percent to 70 percent.

Across the U.S., 37 percent of all veterans belong to a group or organization striving to help better its community, while only 27 percent of non-veterans partake in similar opportunities, according to the study.

The report notes: “In almost all measures, veterans, old and young, were more civically healthy than non-veterans.”

Compiled with extensive research from the National Conference on Citizenship in concert with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the report also states that “the civilian population has not always recognized the veterans’ population at large as an asset to communities and too often focus on the challenges that some veterans face.”

Set to denounce a narrative that all veterans carry physical and psychological burdens that impair their ability to continue serving, the report stresses that “they are not the only narratives” for veterans in post-military life.

The civic health report’s conclusion recommends that civic leaders not only help veterans, but “recruit, empower and leverage” them into community improvement efforts, where their skills
and leadership can flourish.

“Challenge veterans to lead at work and in the community,” the report states. “These are the men and women who volunteered to fight our nation’s longest war. Recognize their desire and skills to serve and actively recruit, and engage them in making an impact in communities.”

This article is featured in the April 2022 issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

When construction began in early 2021 on a housing complex for veterans in Jonesboro, Arkansas, members of VFW Post 1991 wanted to offer help for the veterans and their families when they moved into the facilities.

In addition to assisting veterans, it was a way, Post Commander Robert Murphy said, to aid in improving the VFW’s image as an organization that provides many services.

“It’s not just a bar where veterans share old stories,” said Murphy, a 23-year Army veteran who served from 1975 to 1998. “The canteen plays a role for our members, but there’s so much more that we do.”

Since taking over as the commander three years ago, Murphy has overseen the distribution of bi-monthly food boxes to veterans’ families, donations of toys for Christmas and help with utility bills. Murphy also has worked to distribute supplies to the homeless and developed a program to provide service dogs to veterans.

“We know veterans are struggling,” he said.

Post 1991 members soon focused on the Jonesboro Veterans Village project.

90 DAYS OF FREE RENT
Armed with a $100,000 Federal Cares Act grant, the Post’s 413 members first offered to buy furnishings and appliances for the nine houses built on an acre of land near downtown Jonesboro. But another civic organization decided to do that, purchasing couches, tables, chairs, washers, dryers and other electrical appliances.

“We didn’t want to duplicate efforts,” said Murphy, who retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 3. “We knew of veterans who were struggling. They were trying to get back on their feet. We thought, ‘What is a good way to help them?’ “

The Post’s members opted to buy a year’s worth of cleaning supplies for each of the nine homes. That would free up veterans’ money for food and utility bills, Murphy said.

Workers finished building the homes near the corner of Aggie Road and Allis Street just east of the downtown area in late summer of 2021.

Much of the funding came from the National Housing Trust Fund Program. Private donations also were received, and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge donated $250,000 to complete the Jonesboro Veterans Village.

There are seven 550-squarefoot, one-bedroom homes and two 950-square foot, two-bedroom homes on the complex. They were placed in a horseshoe shape on the lot with sidewalks and a pavilion in the center. At the southern edge of the lot is a community center. The entire project is surrounded by black fencing.

Veterans selected to live there are given 90 days of free rent and assistance in finding jobs. It is the only housing project of its kind in Arkansas and one of only a few in the midsouth.

Already, officials in Little Rock and Fayetteville have shown interest in replicating the Jonesboro model and building similar complexes in their Arkansas cities.

“Housing is a key for some veterans,” said Lynda Nash, the director of the Beck Pride Center at Arkansas State University, a program aimed at helping northeast Arkansas veterans.

Nash also worked on securing funding for the housing project.

“Some [veterans] live in cars,” she said. “Others are homeless. We wanted to give them something nice.”

‘THE HARDEST PART WAS ASKING FOR HELP’
There were delays in getting veterans into the homes, Murphy said. The Department of Housing seemed to often change its housing regulations, and the process to apply for a home was slow.

Then, on Sept. 13, 2021, someone broke into several of the homes and stole clothes, washers and dryers, furnishings and other items. Insurance covered the losses, but it further delayed the opening.

Finally, in late December, the first three veterans moved into houses.

“This is amazing,” Mark Freeman, a Marine who served in Japan from 1998 to 2003, said of the homes.

Freeman lived in Bono, Arkansas, a small, neighboring community of Jonesboro, until he got into a dispute with his landlord. The apartment owner locked him out of his place, and Freeman ended up living in his car.

“The hardest part was asking for help,” Freeman said.

Jeremy Wells, a Navy veteran who served from 1999 to 2010, moved into the village on Dec. 21. Someone had broken into his home in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, twice in early December, stealing everything, “including the trash,” he said. Wells was then homeless and without a car – the thief made off with his vehicle as well. He went to the emergency room at a Walnut Ridge hospital shortly after, complaining of stomach pains.

He was later released and began walking in the frigid December night toward Jonesboro, some 25 miles away.

“I was freezing my butt off,” Wells said. “But I had nowhere to go.”

He called an acquaintance who picked him up, and then he called VFW Post 1991 in Jonesboro. Within a day, Post members helped place Wells into a home at the village. He set a small Christmas tree atop his stereo for the holiday season.

‘THE VFW HAS HELPED GREATLY’
Jeffery Hill Sr., of Texarkana, Arkansas, was the first to move into the village. Hill is a U.S. Army veteran, serving from 1978 to 1983 with the 82nd Airborne Division.

He had lived in a hotel in southwestern Arkansas, paying $2,000 a month.

He had relatives in Jonesboro and visited them briefly before being treated at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, for a knee injury. Two days after his release from the center, he was admitted into the Jonesboro housing village.

“It’s a blessing,” he said. “I got stuck in motels. I was depressed and I couldn’t find my way out.”

There are nearly 6,000 veterans living in Craighead County, which includes Jonesboro, said Larry Pierce, a VA service officer for the county.

Pierce, a Life member of VFW Post 2242 in Paragould, Arkansas, served with the 2nd Marine Brigade in Korea in 1968 and 1969. He later served with a Marine liaison brigade in Cambodia in the 1970s. A former sergeant, Pierce said he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder now.

“I’ve got what they’ve got,” he said of the veterans he helps with applying for disability, resumes, job applications and other services. He estimates there are between 75 and 100 homeless veterans in Jonesboro.

“There is a strong need in this county,”

Pierce said. “The VFW has helped greatly.”

The projects, including the Veterans Village, have helped restore the image of VFW Post 1991. Several years ago, a civic organization with a club across Airport Road from the Post was the scene of a small riot. Police were called and the club eventually was closed, and the organization suspended.

Although the fracas did not involve VFW members, the Post was included in talks about the incident because of its proximity to the club.

“We had the reputation then of just being a bar,” said Post 1991 member Ira Brown, a 22-year veteran of the Navy who was a chief petty aviation and electrician officer during two tours in Vietnam. “We’re not that way at all.”

The 83-year-old Brown says the inclusion of new veterans from the Gulf War has helped keep the Post young.

“We relied on Korean and Vietnam veterans for so long,” he said. “We were getting old. The new ones came in and we started seeing changes.”

REGAINING A SENSE OF PURPOSE
Mark Davis, commander of VFW’s Department of Arkansas and Life member of Post 1991, said a lot of the Post’s work goes unnoticed. Each year, the members give a $30,000 college scholarship to a high school essay writer.

They also hold a motorcycle ride to collect Christmas toys for veterans’ families. Finally, in late December, the first and give away turkeys for the holidays. The Post’s Auxiliary bakes and sells goods each Christmas as a fundraiser.

“Our motto is, ‘We’re the last to let you down,'” said Davis, who served in the Navy for 14 years as a chief petty officer and then with the Army for 12 years as a master sergeant.

“I don’t want to see a veteran in need,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I can to get you back on your feet.”

Some veterans have a hard time adjusting to civilian life, leading to problems, Murphy said.

“There’s such a sense of purpose in uniform,” he said. “You make life and death decisions when you’re 18 or 19. You come back here and there’s nothing. You lose that sense of purpose.”

More are expected to move into the village. Eventually, officials want to see the nine homes filled with veterans continuously.

After a warm welcome home from the Gulf War, veterans are now forgotten and must fend for themselves, Murphy said.

“The veterans of today are now experiencing what the Vietnam veterans did when they first came home,” he said.

“When I came home from the Navy, no one was waiting at the pier for me,” Wells added. “Here [at the village], I’ve made friends.”

This article is featured in the April 2022 issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Kenneth Heard. Heard is a former newspaper and television reporter based in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He currently is the media information director for the Craighead County (Arkansas) Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

When a new Orange Heart Memorial sprouted on the fertile grounds of the Springfield Memorial Gardens in Tennessee last year, the 532 names inscribed on the bronze cenotaphs humbled Ken Gamble.

Each name, that of a Vietnam War veteran, presented Gamble, a Vietnam War veteran himself, with another reason to continue his mission to honor those who fight, and those who fought and succumbed to the devilish effects of Agent Orange.

Representing the Orange Heart Medal Foundation, a Springfield, Tenn.-based nonprofit Gamble started in 2018, the brown-water Navy veteran stood at the Orange Heart Memorial’s unveiling ceremony on Veterans Day last year and remembered the journey of Kenneth Webb.

Webb, a Vietnam War veteran from California, had sent an application to have his name added to one of the bronze cenotaphs. He, like Gamble, had fought Agent Orange side effects for decades since their exposure to the herbicide.

“He told me he would love to come in for the dedication after getting his name on the memorial,” recalled Gamble, a Life member of VFW Post 2120 in Greenbrier, Tennessee, about 8 miles from Springfield. “But he told me he would have to catch a train because his doctor said he couldn’t fly in his condition.”

What Webb left out was that he had been living in a hospice, fighting daily to keep from going gently without completing his final mission in life. He later confessed to Gamble that he had gotten an Iraq War veteran to get him out of the hospice and help him get on a plane for Nashville, where he then caught a train to Springfield.

“He was staying at this hotel in town until the ceremony, but he never made it,” Gamble said. “He passed out in his hotel and was rushed to the hospital, where we picked him up to take him to see the memorial.”

It was in Webb’s private moment that Gamble witnessed the visceral impact his Orange Heart Medal Foundation and the newly sprouted memorial had on those suffering from the long-lasting effects of Agent Orange exposure.

“I remember him tracking his name down and touching it,” Gamble said. “He told us this had been his last mission and then he broke down and cried. He had to miss the ceremony and return to California. He died three days later.”

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT
For Gamble, the Orange Heart Memorial was a labor of love and duty that came from a VFW Post 2120 meeting in the spring of 2019 that welcomed Kentuckian Kathy Diel, who promoted an idea to put a stone in every state to recognize veterans.

She was a guest of Gamble’s, whose creation of the Orange Heart Medal Foundation had gathered nationwide buzz for its mission to bring recognition for veterans who were affected by exposure to Agent Orange.

Gamble, who fought past radiation and chemotherapy at VA hospitals for prostate cancer as a result of his exposure, took on the gargantuan responsibility of serving as a voice for Vietnam War veterans suffering from Agent Orange.

His foundation, which is made up of six veteran boar funds to honor veterans suffering from Agent Orange exposure by awarding them an Orange Heart Medal that resembles a Purple Heart.

“You would not believe the amount of emails I get every day from veterans or, sadly, their widows thanking me for what we’re doing,” Gamble said. “They are extremely grateful just to have someone recognize them and their fight against Agent Orange.”

The medals, which are legally recognized in Alabama and Tennessee, with the proposal on the voting floor in South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, California, Hawaii, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri, have been shipped to more than 8,000 Agent Orange victims and their spouses to date. But Gamble wanted to expand his mission, thus bringing Diel to the Post 2120 meeting in hopes of finding his next task.

“She did her presentation, and it led to us deciding to instead make it a memorial here in town,” Gamble said. “I reached out to our local Legacy Group Funeral Home, and they offered us a plot of land as well as offering to do all the foundation for it, flagpoles and placing flags on those flagpoles. They even offered to do the memorial’s maintenance for us.”

‘WE’RE DYING AT A RATE OF 557 A DAY’
The first phase of the memorial, which exceeded $37,900 in costs that did not include the Legacy Group Funeral Home’s labor donations, was unveiled on Veterans Day 2021 in front of thousands of people from across the country who found their way to Springfield Memorial Gardens.

From Vietnam War veterans to their families, friends, local residents and friends of the foundation, the crowd huddled around the first of what Gamble believes to be many sections soon to be added to the memorial.

“The first phase was made of bronze cenotaphs, each one having 60 names of not just Vietnam War veterans that made it back home, but we also added orange hearts to those suffering from Agent Orange.”

The second phase, which is slated to unveil on March 29 to coincide with Vietnam Veterans Appreciation Day, will set the precedent for years to come, according to Gamble’s proposed plan.

“We want to start hosting ceremonies to unveil new phases of the memorial on Vietnam Veterans Day from here on out,” Gamble added. “We currently have 532 names on there, and we expect it to keep growing.”

Through his time at the helm of his foundation, Gamble also has worked continuously over the last three years with a filmmaker from Florida on a documentary exposing the effects of Agent Orange. From testimonials to recent scientific studies conducted at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Gamble hopes the documentary can amplify the voice of awareness and extend its reach for Agent Orange victims everywhere.

“Look, we’re dying at a rate of 557 veterans a day, so we’re dying fast,” Gamble said of Agent Orange victims. “We don’t have a lot of time, so we have to keep fighting to raise awareness for these veterans.”

Gamble encourages those wanting to apply for an Orange Heart Medal or add a Vietnam War veteran’s name to the Orange Heart Memorial at Springfield Memorial Gardens to visit the foundation’s website at www.orangeheartmedal.org.

This article is featured in the 2022 March issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for the VFW magazine.

No matter the time of year, when you check the calendar of VFW Post 10804, you are sure to find something worthwhile. Located in N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Post hosts regular functions and is almost always raising funds for a good cause. Members can also be spotted in the community building connections and giving back through other engagements.

It is important to Commander Mike Mishoe that the Post reflects its members. He encourages each of them to play an active role, saying, “This is your Post. You are an owner. Invest time and money to make it a place we all want to go and share time with comrades, auxiliary, guests and friends.”

Members have ample opportunity to take Mishoe up on this. Each week, the Post hosts several meals to bring people together for good food and company. Other monthly activities further build comradery and benefit those in need. For instance, the Post often hosts fundraising events for VFW National Home and provides ongoing support to the local VA Clinic’s Veterans Needs Program.

Individuals in the community – and well beyond it – benefit from Post members’ generosity and service, too. From hosting food and coat drives to donating to a local ROTC program to sending emergency supplies to individuals in Kentucky, who were impacted by tornadoes, Post 10804 shows up.

Even during the holidays, you’ll find members putting others first. On Thanksgiving, friends and family are invited to share a meal prepared by members. And through its Angel Tree program, the Post provides gifts to children as well as veterans, who they visit at local nursing homes. Without such generosity, many of those heroes would not have holiday celebrations to enjoy.

The Post’s far-reaching service is inspiring – people want to take part in it. The numbers speak for themselves. As of this month, it met some important thresholds.

“The Post is 100% in membership. We are also number one in the state for total community service. Everyone is a key contributor in both these milestones,” said Mishoe.

VFW Post 10804 has proven it is there for veterans and the greater N. Myrtle Beach area in a variety of ways. Its devoted members are proof of the good work being done. The VFW is proud to honor Post 10804 members who are #StillServing.

If you’re a veteran with a #StillServing story to share, we want to hear from you.