Elks Lodge salutes vets

U.S. Army veteran John Blackmore, 40, Bloomfield, stands at attention Saturday as he prepares to present the colors during a memorial service for county veterans. Blackmore, who served five years in Germany and Georgia, was the youngest vet on hand.(Greene County Daily World/Mark Stalcup) [Order this photo]

"I think of all the friends I lost during the war, and all the friends who were with me there who are passed away now," said the 85-year-old, watching memorial services at the Linton Elks Lodge 866.

Ferry, a former Army Air Corps sergeant, recalled them all, his reverie reaching back to World War II, where he served in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, transporting supplies.

Army Air Corps veteran Bob Ferry, 85, Linton, was the oldest veteran honored at Saturday's Veterans Memorial event at the Linton Elks Lodge 866. Ferry, who served in World War II supports more people participating in honoring those who served. (Greene County Daily World/Mark Stalcup) [Order this photo]

"I feel fortunate to be here today," he said, watching attentively as the names of those brave souls lost in combat, local soldiers and sailors, were read, one by one, during Saturday's memorial service honoring Greene County's casualties of war.

The names, read reverently in turns by three Elks members, Jerry Abram, Fred Chamberlain and Jerry McKim, brought home the heroics, honor and loss local men and women brought to the battlefield.

Row upon row of the white, wooden crosses stood in the field north of the Elks, a reminder to those passing by on State Road 54 of the ultimate price so many here paid.

Fred Lewis, a member of Bloomfield American Legion Post 196, stands and salutes fallen comrades and countrymen during Saturday's ceremonies honoring vets.(Greene County Daily World/Mark Stalcup) [Order this photo]

"Having those crosses out front where the people driving by can see them really brings home that any action the United States is not something someone else is dealing with," said Linton Police Chief Troy Jerrell, Saturday's featured speaker. "It starts here at home."

Jerrell substituted for Linton Mayor Tom Jones, who had been slated to speak but who was unable to attend.

Noting that his grandfather's brother, James Morris, was among the fallen Greene County veterans listed on the honor roll, Jerrell said "I'm sure most of you know someone, or were related to someone on the list as well."

The role of veterans in today's society is crucial, the chief emphasized, and shouldn't end when their active service does.

"Today, as much as anything, we still need your input and guidance," he said, especially in the face of ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart."

Saturday's service, held three days after Veterans' Day, brought only around 20 people to the Elks for the commemoration.

That struck Ferry, a past exalted ruler of the chapter, hard. He'd like to see more attend.

"I didn't have much trouble being the oldest veteran here today," he said, a sad smile crossing his face. "It's too bad we didn't have a bigger turn-out, but that's the way it goes."

He paused.

"People get busy. Too busy."

Standing at attention nearby, Bloomfield's John Blackmore, 40, readied to present the colors as one of the four-member squad from the American Legion Post 196.

The youngest veteran present Saturday, Blackmore served five years on active duty as a specialist in the U.S. Army, serving in Germany and at Fort Stewart, Ga.

"Even though I'm a veteran, this is an opportunity for me to honor the living and past veterans, and to make sure things still work the way they should for future generations of veterans," Blackmore, who also bugled "Taps" to close the ceremony. "We need them to understand the sacrifices that veterans have made."

Not enough's been done by the general public to honor those sacrifices, Blackmore said.

"I would like to see more towns and organizations do more with it," he said. "Unfortunately, it's not a national holiday. It is a federal holiday, but it's not a national holiday the way something like Christmas or the Fourth of July is. I personally believe that it should be, and that it should be an observed holiday where businesses close. Without veterans, people couldn't even own those places."