A 'light' remembrance

COEUR d’ALENE — The color guard held its flags high as veterans, families and friends stood in salute while the band played the national anthem.

Each branch of the United States Armed Forces were represented in the flags the color guard carried, as were those who became prisoners of war and missing in action. The procession was led by the American flag.

The ceremony was held in celebration of Armed Forces Day on Saturday at Fedora Pub and Grille.

"I know people think about Veterans Day quite a bit and not a lot of Armed Forces Day," said Brandon Mattern, general manager of the Fedora and event organizer, adding there are 22 veterans groups in the community. "The more awareness we can get to the community about these groups and what they actually do is important."

It was the first time Fedora hosted the event, but Mattern said they would like to make it an annual event because he wants younger veterans to be more involved with the local groups. Mattern is an Army veteran who retired in December after 18 years in the military.

The Armed Forces event was scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. The AlgoRhythms, a local band, supplied the music and several local veterans organizations and a few other vendors helped out for the day. Some of the organizations include the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Honor Flight, National Guard and Newby-Ginnings.

"I thought it was great," said Vietnam veteran Bob Shaw, of Coeur d'Alene, about the ceremony. "I think it's pretty nice that they are doing this for the community and the veterans."

Shaw was in the Air Force from 1967 to 1968 and then again from 1970 until 1975 during the Vietnam War. He was a flight engineer on C-141s, flying in supplies and toward the end of the war he was involved in Operation Babylift.

"Babylift was when we were taking refugees out of Vietnam, South Vietnam, and flying them into the Philippines and to Guam," he said.

He said it was also nice of Sheriff Ben Wolfinger to deliver the invocation for the event, and of Senator Bob Nonini, who spoke briefly about the plan to build a veterans home in Post Falls. Nonini said he will keep working hard on the project, which garnered him loud applause from the crowd. Nonini told the Press it will be several years before the home is open, but added Idaho is on schedule with permits and the land was donated by the Jacklin family. He said it is the federal government, the Department of Veterans Affairs, causing "frustration" with funding.

David and Linda Jaquot are both Army veterans who set up a booth for G.I. Java, a vet center coffee house that will open soon on Fourth Street in Coeur d'Alene. During the event, veterans were signing up to help other veterans with rides, firewood or anything else they might need. David said the nonprofit will offer free counseling and free brewed coffee to veterans, although everyone is welcome at the coffee shop.

"Coffee is kind of a universal mechanism to get people together, to sit down and have a cup of coffee with friends." Linda said.

Carl George, veterans services advisor for North Idaho College and the NIC Veterans Club, raffled items to raise money for the Beyers-Newby Veterans Scholarship to help veterans go to college. George was in the Air Force for 23 years and retired from the military about 15 years ago. He said having the Armed Forces Day event was good because Veterans Day and Memorial Day are more "somber" events than Armed Forces Day.

"It's a light venue versus a really somber venue," he said. "There's nothing around Coeur d'Alene that has it ... it would be nice if this really took off."

Mike and Susan Costa of Athol agreed that the Armed Forces Day event was more uplifting and positive day as opposed to Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

"More tears are there at those two events," Susan said, and as the band belted out "Chain of Fools," she waved her hand around and added, "Something like this, everyone is smiling."

Mike was in the Army for three years from 1972-75 and was also in Vietnam at the end of the war. Susan is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Children of the American Revolution.

"It's nice to be able to thank a veteran — shake a hand," Susan said.