Day 4 – Saturday, May 17, 2014 Up early for Breakfast from the fine folks at Cheyenne Wyoming American Legion Post 6. They provided a fine breakfast and made us feel at home in their comfortable facility. We especially appreciated their participation in the 50/50, which made it especially successful. Thank you Post 6! We were wheels up at 8AM with 30 bikes 1 bike with trailer, 3 trikes, 1 trike with trailer and the Chase vehicle. Riding Missing Man Formation were Don and Sue Tardif, and Mike and Kat Tipton. The weather was chilly and damp with drizzle for 106 miles to Sydney, NE. Then the sun came out and it warmed up a bit for the 120-mile ride to the North Platte, NE Veterans Memorial. Little Sis was there to greet us with hugs and special pins and wares. The North Platte Firemen provided a picnic for us. If you went away hungry, it was your own fault! We really appreciated their kindness. Another 149 miles and a greatly appreciated police escort lead by Larry Hobson brought us to the beautiful Grand Island Veterans Home. The first thing we saw was a fire truck with a huge American Flag flying bravely in the wind. Many vets were outside anxiously waiting for our riders. After a warm welcome from Bill (Mongo) Luft, the NE coordinator, certificates of appreciation were given to all who made our visit possible. It was so good to see so many old friends. Generosity was everywhere with donations coming in from Bill Anderson’s mom, District 6 County Supervisor, Gary Quandt, and eloquent words and a donation from Dan Naranjo, a local business man. Nancy Klimek, Recreation Manager for 32 years, organized the riders to visit all areas of the home. We saw a lot of Vets today! The appreciation in the eyes of the men and women we visited radiated from them. Our riders are good! Laughter, lots of hugs, handshakes and just listening transformed every one they encountered. I’m going to concentrate on an interview I had with one gentleman named Don who was a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam, 1967 to ’68. The thing that he remembers most is the way the Marines had his back as he was delivering aid to the wounded. Don is very troubled now. He’s lived at the home for 10 years and loves. He very passionately explained how politics has put the future of the home in jeopardy. This 128-year-old facility is on a gorgeous campus with a park and bandstand, and lovely grounds for the Vets to enjoy. It is very close to hospital facilities and the impressive Veteran’s Cemetery is very close by. Now it seems that politics are coming into play. Land was purchased near an airport in the middle of a cornfield for the purpose of relocating the home. The Vets had no input and are worried that they will be forced to move. Don has sworn that he will not leave his home, most especially because of the proximity of the cemetery. “No vet will be left behind.” he said. “We are people! This is our family, our friends! I’m not going anywhere” At the end of our visit, Jerry has Hall County Supervisor from District 6 explain how efforts are being made to save this wonderful facility. Jerry has written a letter from the NVAO in support of the home and its residents. Mr. Quandt said that he appreciates our support and hopes that we will continue to assist them in fighting the bureaucracy that wants to fix something that is not broken. We will monitor their situation and hope that they are successful in saving a really fine facility. We left the home feeling exhilarated by our visit. Mike Shafer rode Missing Man from the home. What an incredible welcome we got from at the American Legion Post 300 in Doniphan, NE! A welcoming party ushered us in to a wonderful meal. Heartfelt thanks to Larry, Deni, Mike, Shaw, Don, and another Mike. We love you all and look forward to visiting you again next year! Well, dear readers, this old girl is really tired tonight. Sleep has been illusive for a couple of days, so I’ll say good night until tomorrow. Julie
Posted on: Sun, 18 May 2014 04:25:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015