By Alyson M. Teeter
Post 3063 members, friends, and family gathered with some of the post’s World War II veterans to honor their service at the post’s monthly social on Nov. 17, 2016.
Five of the post’s 14 living World War II veterans, along with two World War II veteran guests, were present at the 
ceremony. Members included Oscar Borchelt, Genaro Garcia, Herbert Leake, Al Linden, and Orville Mall, and the two guests were Richard Smith and Kristian Nielsen.
During the course of the night, members and guests mingled, recounted war stories, dined, and then participated in the recognition program. Commander Nestor Tamayao started the program with welcoming remarks and the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Freedom isn’t free and what you did kept our freedom,” said Commander Tamayao. “Our thanks extends from the World War II veterans to all veterans. Thank you to those attending.”
Commander Tamayao also noted that his father was a survivor of the Bataan Death March so he especially understood how important it was to recognize their sacrifices.
Certificates that featured an illustration of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and membership longevity pins were presented to every World War II veteran in attendance.
Post 3063 Chaplain Bill Griffith then narrated a slideshow that included photos provided by the veterans and a historical overview of World War II.
“’Old soldiers never die, they just fade away,’” Chaplain Griffith said, recounting General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quote. “The VFW doesn’t want our veterans to fade away. But we noticed that World War II veterans weren’t attending meetings anymore.”
He went on to explain that they hoped to devise a program to track veterans closer. Part of this effort was the nexus for creating the night’s recognition program.
After the slideshow, the night ended with group photos, words of gratitude, and farewells. These veterans will not be forgotten.
