VFW shows patriotism with July 4 event

The traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence continued this Fourth of July, but with a Marine Corps veteran of World War II leading the charge in the reading of the hallowed American document.

The 98-year-old Tom Carlton started the recital by reading the first line - 70 words - of the Declaration, followed by Ken Matthiesen, Jim Gillibrand, Roy Brown, Paul Nowatka, Denis Munson, and Connie Foust, who introduced the reading of the document to the event four years ago.

It was part of the annual Fourth of July celebration "Community Picnic in the Park," hosted by Horse Plains VFW Post 3596 at Fred Young Park Thursday. Each Independence Day the post puts on a free barbecue lunch for the community. Allen said they gave out about 60 pounds of hamburgers and about 40 pounds of hot dogs, and toppings, condiments, potato salad, and drinks.

More than 50 people gathered at the park pavilion to hear the recital, which took only about 15 minutes, but about 400 people attended the event throughout the day, said Heather Allen, the post quartermaster and VFW state senior vice commander. The reading was coordinated by members of the nonprofit organization the Free Americans. Allen, an Air Force vet, believes the Declaration reading adds to the event. "Most people haven't taken the time to read it, so by reading it at the event, it reminds us of what our forefathers did in the past to ensure Americans were free," said Allen, who had donned a patriotic look from head to toe.

Foust said that reading the Declaration of Independence made her think of what the signers went through to get it done in 1776. "They were real patriots," said Foust of the 56 men who attached their names to the document, which immediately gave them a straight path to the British gallows. The 77-year-old Foust said she enjoys reading it. "A couple of the statements made me choke up," said Munson, a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. Only the 84-year-old Gillibrand, an Army veteran, had previously participated in the Declaration reading at the VFW celebration.

This was the first time for Carlton of Plains, who read it a couple times at home ahead of time. "I really liked doing it," said the veteran of the 1st Marine Division in the Battle of Okinawa, the final ground battle of the war in 1945. "I think it did make me feel more patriotic," he said.

Ron Kilbury, the post commander, along with VFW members Dan Johnson and Gene Ross, served as cooks at the grill for the four-hour event. A dozen VFW members also helped with the event, including Air Force veteran Larry Smith, who celebrated his 77th birthday on Independence Day. They also had lawn games and music by the Northern Lights Band of Missoula.

The VFW also held three raffles there. One was for a half a beef, groceries and gasoline. Another was for cash at $10 a ticket with a maximum of 500 tickets and one for an RF-15 rifle. The rifle winner will be announced at the VFW's anniversary on Nov. 9.

Allen said the event went well. The VFW spent almost $2,000 to put on the picnic. "This event, as well as our anniversary party, are a monetary loss for us, but we enjoy doing them both for the community and plan to continue whether we receive help or not," said Allen, who added that the post members appreciated all who came out to help celebrate America's anniversary. The post also collected $430 in donations to update the VFW bowling alley and to make their building entirely handicap accessible.