Melodie Phelps, News Editor
CNHI
6-30-10 — On a hot afternoon in June, the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 105
Honor Guard gathered at a rural cemetery in Clinton County to provide military honors for a Korean War veteran who was being buried there. Dressed in uniforms, with guns, an American flag and a bugle at the ready, they
waited for the time when they would pay a final tribute to a man who had served his country honorably.
The Honor Guard is at the heart of what the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 105 is all about‹veterans helping veterans. Whether it is presenting
a flag to a grieving family, helping a veteran meet a financial obligation, or providing a care package for a hospitalized veteran, it is all part of
the work that the D.A.V. has done each year of its more than 50 year history in Wayne County.
You have to look back at that history to appreciate where the D.A.V. is
today. The organization actually began nationally in 1920. Early efforts were focused on helping World War I veterans who returned home disabled or unable to work.
As other wars were fought and other veterans came home, the scope of the organization expanded. The organization is now more than one million strong.
Chapter 105 has approximately 250 members, representing all branches of
the service. The group meets the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at
the Senior Citizens Building on Columbia Avenue.
Don Lair is the commander of Chapter 105 now and many of the members will tell you that the organization has blossomed under this leadership.
Recent accomplishments include the new War Memorial, which is located on the
lawn of the Judicial Center. The ³wall² includes the names of all veterans
who were killed in service to their country.
And of course there is the Honor Guard. Many people may have seen the
small bus, with the D.A.V. logo, that helps transport members of the organization to graveyards around Wayne and Clinton counties. What they may not know about is the touching service that volunteers from Chapter 105 provide at the gravesites of veterans.
The history of the Honor Guard goes back a lot of years, when two members of the group, Ed Baker and Leonard Dishman, attended veterans¹
funerals and helped fold the flag to present to the families. When Lair
joined the organization, he said that Baker and Dishman got him and another
member, Hobart Barber, involved with the Honor Guard.
Still, with only three or four D.A.V. members present, the group could not provide the full military service. The turning point came more than
three years ago when Lair and other D.A.V. members attended the funeral of a
Vietnam veteran who had died from terminal cancer.
After the service, Lair recalled the man¹s brother came and thanked them
for what they had done. The brother then told Lair that this had been his brother¹s last request, to have a military funeral.
From that the Honor Guard as it exists today began. Lair took the idea
before the D.A.V. which approved it and provided funding support. The
organization also got money from the city and the county government to help purchase uniforms, guns, a bugle and the other items they needed.
It takes at least 12 D.A.V. members to do a military service, noted
Lair. Right now there are 18 members participating in the Honor Guard. They
average about a funeral every week and have done approximately 30 so far
this year.
They are the only D.A.V. in this area to provide this type of service,
though there are other organizations in Kentucky who also do this. The Honor
Guard provides a 21 gun salute, plays Taps and folds and presents the flag
to the family.
³Families are very appreciative of what we do,² said Lair.
Sometimes it is difficult, particularly when it involves a veteran or a
family that they know. Buddy Green, who is the senior vice-commander of the
D.A.V. and who is part of the group who folds the flag, noted that it can
become very emotional, especially when Taps is played.
³The people know what that means and it gets to them,² said Green.
³Somebody¹s got to do it,² he continued. ³They deserve it and someone¹s
got to do it.²
James Ray Craig, who is junior vice-commander of the D.A.V., agreed.
³It¹s great that we can do that for them,² said Craig. ³I feel like it¹s
an honor that I am able to go out and participate in this and be a part of
it.²
Craig can fill several roles on the Honor Guard. He is assistant rifle
commander, plays Taps and can also assist with the flag. Lair noted that
Craig was recently nominated for a statewide D.A.V. award. Craig was a
finalist for the award at the recent state convention.
All three men will tell you that this effort, or any of their work,
would not be possible without the generous donations that they have
received.
³The community has been good to us,² said Lair. ³The fiscal court and
the city council have also been good to us.²
Lair also noted that the Monticello Police Department provides a secure
area where Honor Guard rifles are kept.
The Honor Guard is usually contacted by funeral homes, when a veteran¹s
family requests the service. They receive no compensation for the service
and they have been out at gravesites in all kinds of weather.
Lair also noted that you do not have to be a member of D.A.V. to have
the Honor Guard at a funeral service. The only requirement is that the
deceased be an honorably discharged veteran from any branch of the service.
The D.A.V. is busy with many other activities throughout the year. At
Memorial Day they help place American flags on the gravesites of veterans
throughout the county. This past May, with the help of Boy Scouts and JROTC,
they placed flags on about 1,000 veterans¹ graves in the county. They also
help provide the annual Memorial Day service.
Lair noted that they would like to continue to expand this, but it is
impossible for the organization to get to every graveyard in the county. Any
church with a cemetery that would like to get flags to put on the graves of
veterans buried there can contact any D.A.V. member for more information.
D.A.V. is also instrumental in the annual Veterans Day Parade and
service, also with the help of the JROTC.
This September will mark the third straight year that Chapter 105 will
host the 5th District fall meeting. The 5th District consists of 17 counties
and will bring approximately 100 veterans to the meeting which will be held
at the National Guard Armory on September 25.
Anyone who is interested in joining the local chapter of D.A.V. should
attend a meeting, according to Lair. Anyone who would like to make a
donation to D.A.V. can send it to P.O. Box 944, Monticello, Ky. 42633. Any
local donations are used locally, noted Lair.