Letter to the Editor 9-28-18

Dear editor,
I am a veteran and life member of the VFW Post #7515 in Clyde, Kansas. Prior to that I was a life member of VFW Post #588 in Concordia. I have also had the privilege of being a past commander of VFW Post #6184 in Eagle Points, Oregon.
A few weeks ago I became aware that VFW Post #588 owned a parcel of ground in the southwest corner of Pleasant Hill Cemetery that included a memorial dedicated to the veterans of WWI and WW2 and approximately nine lots intended to be used for the burial of “worthy veterans.”
My research indicates that the land and the memorial were given to VFW Post #588 by the Grace Finley Millirons Trust decades ago.
When VFW Post #588 in Concordia was merged with VFW Post #7515 in Clyde, the ownership of the parcel of land was transferred to Post #7515.
We as members of Post #7515 need to maintain and preserve this hallowed ground where our brothers from generations past are interred. Their souls have returned to God, but the care of the final resting place of their earthly remains has been entrusted to myself and all of the other members of VFW Post #7515.
Duty and honor requires us to fulfill this obligation. I was selected to be the official spokesperson for VFW Post #7515 regarding this matter, so here goes.
I am currently working with a Boy Scout who has taken on the task of sprucing up the monument and making a list of the veterans buried there in order to earn his Eagle Scout status.
Plans include a solar flag light from the Boy Scouts (funded by Phil Gilliland at The Citizens National Bank, thanks Phil), new rope for the flag pole, new paint for the flag pole (thanks to Ron Copple), two new flags already purchased by my wife and I (one American flag and one POW flag). My plan is to have it ready for Veterans Day on November 11.
If you are a veteran and eligible to join the VFW, you are strongly encouraged to do so. Bring a copy of your DD-214 and come to the meetings in Clyde at 7:30 p.m. (1930 hours) on the third Wednesday of each month. Step in and sign up, we need you. Our membership continues to shrink.
The VFW is one of the two main organizations that lobby Congress to gain and preserve veterans' rights and benefits.
Ladies, check to see if you qualify for the VFW Auxiliary. The VFW could not function without the Auxiliary. Thank you ladies for all you do. You are appreciated.
Never forget the heroes and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank our creator for men and women who are willing to serve in the military, and fight, and perhaps die, to protect the rest of us from evil. Without them our country would cease to exist.
Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Stephen Smith Thomas dated November 13, 1787, wrote the following: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” That about sums it up. Remember, Duty, Honor and Sacrifice. See you at the meeting.
Denny Taylor
VFW Post #7515
Clyde, Kansas