FOR THE VETERANS

In a short ceremony at the Plains Cemetery, members of VFW Post 3596 commemerated military veterans, past and present.

"We gather here today at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 2020 to place this wreath in remembrance of those who have served this great nation before us, to honor those who now serve this great nation, and to salute those who stand by them in times of peace and in times of war. May none ever be forgotten and may God bless this great nation," said Matt Wachsmuth, who led the ceremony in his Air Force uniform. The wreath was made by Wisconsin resident Jeanie Robl, who is visiting her daughter, Heather Allen, the post quartermaster and an Air Force veteran.

This was the first time the Plains VFW held a ceremony on Veterans Day, said Ron Kilbury, the VFW Post 3596 post commander. It was Wachsmuth's idea to have the ceremony at 11 a.m. on November 11, which originally signified the armistice of World War I, called the Great War at the time. The Allies and Germany had decided on the a ceasefire at that specific time and even with both sides knew for hours of the war's end, some combatants continued fighting with the last American, Henry Gunther, perishing at 10:59 a.m. when he charged a German position. 

Gunther was one of 116,516 American servicemen to die in the war. The war began in 1914 after Bosnian Gavrillo Princip assassinated Archduke Frank Ferdinand and his wife. The United States didn't get into the war until 1917. In 1926, Congress made Nov. 11 an official holiday, calling it Armistice Day to honor veterans of the Great War. It was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all military servicemen and women.

It wasn't called World War I until after World War II started, said Wachsmuth, who was in the Air Force from 1988 to 1997 as an aircraft fuel systems technician, what he called a "tank rat." Wachsmuth, a junior vice commander with Post 3596, wanted to do the ceremony at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 to commemorate the end of World War I, but he also wanted to recognize all military veterans.

Memorial Day in May was established to honor those military members who perished serving their country, while Veterans Day is to recognize all vets, dead or alive or in war or peace, said Wachsmuth, who placed the wreath at the cemetery flagpole, saluted and asked for a moment of silence. Ten members of the Post 3596 lined up for the ceremony, where dozens of military gravesites are located, including 20 marked World War I vets. 

Twenty-two community members also attended the ceremony, including several veterans, as well as Georgia resident Allen Mullens, who was dressed as "Captain America." Mullens is not a veteran, but since 2009 he has been walking across the United States to raise money for homeless veterans. He started his trek as Superman, but switched to Captain America in 2010 and is presently working to raise between $8,000 to $12,000 for an Air Force medic to make a down payment on a trailer or an apartment. Mullens doesn't except money himself, but gives donors a self-addressed envelope or a Go Fund Me flier. Navy veteran Chad Kavanaugh, who recently moved from California to Paradise, invited Captain America to join them at the ceremony. 

The cemetery ceremony lasted only about four minutes. Kilbury said it seemed to have a better response from the public than Memorial Day, which the club continues to observe on May 30, the original holiday, but he believes it might have been due to summer vacations. Kilbury was pleased with their first Veterans Day ceremony and plans to continue the tradition each year and modify the event in the future. Wachsmuth would also like to see more added to the event, such as a bugler playing "Taps." He said he may even talk more about the original Armistice Day of World War I. Wachsmuth considers himself a bit of a history buff, especially military history, and found out that his great uncle Raymond Weaver was in the 16th Infantry Regiment, E Company during the Great War. He found the draft notice for World War I for his Grandfather William August Wachsmuth, but doesn't know if he actually served.

The post also celebrated its anniversary Saturday with a free dinner for veterans and the general public alike, said Kilbury, who served in the Army and Navy for 26 years and has been the commander for the last year and a half.  Seven members of Post 3596 Auxiliary and two volunteers cooked 120 pounds of lasagna, 12 pounds of vegetable lasagna, 15 loaves of garlic bread, salad, and two large custom sheet cakes, according to Rebecca Powley, the auxiliary's kitchen chairperson. An estimated 65 people attended the dinner Saturday evening. Post 3596 was chartered in 1937.