Article Contributed on: 11/4/2009 8:44:34 AM
One of the time-honored traditions of U.S. Veterans of Foreign War posts across the country is the distribution of the Buddy Poppy, a small red paper flower assembled by disabled veterans and distributed in conjunction with Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
With Veterans Day approaching Nov. 11, local posts are organizing tributes that include handing out the Buddy Poppy for donations, to raising flags and visiting cemeteries. A public ceremony will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver at 11 a.m.
Director Joe Turnbach said, "It's a traditional veterans service to honor past and present veterans sponsored by VFW District 10."
VFW Post 12009 Commander Kirk Rosa, of Bailey, said he and members of his post would distribute Buddy Poppys Nov. 6, 7 and 8 at King Soopers in Conifer and at Wal-Marts in southwest Denver.
Golden VFW Post 4171 Ladies Auxillary vice president Laurel Imer said the post would gather at the Golden Cemetery at 7 a.m Nov. 11 and line the street with flags.
Like many posts, Imer said the Golden group would attend the Fort Logan service and return at 2 p.m. for another service at the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial in Golden.
Imer said she would be honoring her father, Art Councilman who was in the U.S. Army and her grandfather, Truman, who served in the U.S. Navy. They were members of the Golden VFW, which she remembered visiting during her childhood.
With 1,080 members, the Golden post is a big one in the area, drawing residents from Arvada, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood. Imer mails a newsletter to people all over the country.
"We are a flagship post and extremely active," Imer said.
She said some posts across the country were disappearing because veterans from World War II and the Korean War generations were dying. It made the campaign to recruit younger vets to become active members a priority.
Imer said the post offers Wi-fi and hosts dart games and poker nights. A contingency of students from the Colorado School of Mines visits periodically.
"We are trying to meet the needs of our 80-year-old vets and the 20-year-old soldier. Our older vets can help the younger ones. They can say 'I survived it and you can too,'" she said.
Rosa said despite recent efforts from the president to sign legislation that will allow the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to receive its funding a year in advance, he thought Congress could do more.
"If you ask us if vets are getting everything they deserve, my answer would be no," Rosa said.
He works within military organizations such as the United Veterans Coalition and meets with legislators once a month to set goals for improving veterans health care and support projects.
Wheat Ridge Veterans Village Chaplain Mary Murphy, a former VA and prison chaplain said more veterans courts were needed across the country.
Rosa and Imer expressed dismay that many people view Veterans Day as nothing more than a day off from work.
"What they don't understand is if it weren't for these people you would never have a day off. These are men and women who have gone off and left their life to protect us and serve their country," Imer said.
For information about VFW Post 4171 visit www.vfwpost4171.org.
For information about VFW Post, e-mail
Navycpo7@yahoo.com.