Veterans of Foreign Wars of Evans hosted its annual Veterans Day ceremony Saturday Nov. 11 at its post on Triangle Industrial Drive.
Service members and their families gathered for a breakfast prepared by local members of the VFW Auxiliary, a wreath laying ceremony and a presentation by its post commander, Kelvin Reese, about the importance of Veterans Day.
“I believe it’s our job as veterans to help ensure that the true significance of this day isn’t about noise, department store sales and everyday life,” said Reese, underscoring that the day’s importance lies beyond being another holiday.
“It is our final reminder of not only the commitment and sacrifices of all those who have served the painstakingly high cost of freedom paid by those who have sacrificed their own lives, and futures, to protect ours,” he said.
The Memorial Wall at Evans Towne Center, behind the Evans library, was the original site for the commemoration. Thursday, Reese decided to move the ceremony to home base, VFW Post 12190, amid reports of impending inclement weather.
The post is named for 1st Lt. Sharon Ann Lane, an Army nurse who was killed by Vietnamese rocket fire in 1968 while caring for soldiers in an evacuation hospital. It is one of three VFW posts in Georgia named for women.
Reese’s emphasis on informing the public about the plight of those who served extends to fellow veterans, he notes. Alongside participating in community events such as Trunk or Treats or the Columbia County Christmas parade, the Evans VFW also conducts outreach to help veterans know more about aid they’re entitled to.
“Some still don’t understand the benefits that they deserved,” said Reese, who first served in the Navy before enlisting in the Army, from which he retired as Sgt. 1st Class. “We’re all the time holding events here, get them to come out, talk to our service officers to help them out with the VA and everything, so that they all get what they deserve.”
Reese, who suffers from various respiratory issues related to exposure to burn pits during his time in combat, referred to the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, also known as the PACT Act, which expands access healthcare and benefits to vets who have been exposed to toxic substances such as Agent Orange.
“Basically, we’re a conduit,” said Werner Nock, a 22-year Army veteran who currently assists fellow vets through the VFW, assisting with tasks such as filing benefit claims or applying for the PACT Act’s burn pit registry. “We tell them what they need, tell them to focus on one thing. help them get their DD Form 214.”
Kenneth Manni, a Navy veteran and VFW service officer, recalls how often vets come to the post not knowing where to go or who to talk to about getting access to benefits.
“We’re sort of like their guiding light to get them to where they’re going,” said Manni. “We just show him where to go, how to get them in and push and make sure they keep doing it.”
Nock and Manni both stress educating the public as a key motivator to their participation with VFW, and the post’s mission. Reese echoes the sentiment, saying he wants those who have not served to try to understand what veterans have endured — both those who have seen combat and those who haven’t.
“We’re always away from family and loved ones,” he said. “When [people] go thank a veteran, I don’t want them to thank them because it’s a day off of work for us. Understand the sacrifices that were made so they can have the freedoms that they enjoy.”
For more information on Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12190, visit its website at www.vfw12190.org.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
