There may not be a sufficient way to say goodbye to a Veteran for the final time.

But honoring a Veteran’s life, their service and saying thank you to their family is a tradition that Honor Guards all over the nation have carried on for decades.

A 21-gun salute, “Taps,” the folding of a flag and the presentation of the flag to a loved one is something that Danville resident Rich Darby, a 32-year funeral director, has witnessed over time.

Darby remembers August of 2013 when he was working the funeral of a Veteran. The day was extremely hot and humid at Sunset Memorial Park in Danville. Like many others, Darby was in pants and a jacket, sweating.

“I was soaking wet,” Darby said. “I could feel the perspiration inside of my jacket, the sweat dripping down my back. I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself.”

To his left were men and women from Danville’s American Legion Post 210.

“As I was looking at them, standing at attention, they weren’t looking sorry for themselves,” he recalled. “They had sweat dripping down their brows. They were standing, and they were proud because they were honoring this fallen Veteran.”

That “ah-ha” moment led Darby to request a meeting at the Legion Post the next day.

While Post 210 is a successful post, which raises money for the services it offers, Darby wanted to help them also take care of themselves.

Although the Honor Guard had everything needed to fulfill their duties, Darby noticed that they might need some upgrades to their uniforms.

He remembers that the American Legion Post 210 Honor Guard wore grey pants, but they were all different shades of grey. He saw that their blazers were worn in some places, and not fitting in others.

He thought, “This is a very, very important service that these individuals do for our fallen Veterans, and they need to look the part.”

Post members agreed that they could use some upgrades to their uniforms, as they were the ones to purchase and take care of them.

Darby, alongside the Honor Guard and Sunset Funeral Homes, which he owns, stood outside Walmart and on street corners in rural towns with buckets to raise money for the Honor Guard members.

He noticed that while the Veterans were there, people donated generously. When the Veterans were gone, the money trickled in.

That first year, the newly-formed organization raised $5,000.

When WCIA Channel 3 caught wind of the project, they offered to help by letting the Honor Guard be the focus of an upcoming telethon. In no time, $5,000 turned into $30,000.

“We were able to help with more Honor Guards around the area,” Darby said.

On Oct. 2, 2019, the telethon raised $166,000, helping the Operation Honor Guard organization surpass $1 million raised in six years.

Darby said the movement is growing. He’s heard from television stations in Michigan, Colorado and Tennessee which want to get involved. Currently, Operation Honor Guard is raising money in five states.

But the mission is not over.

Darby said that alongside raising funds, there is still work to do.

Part of Operation Honor Guard’s mission is to heighten community awareness of the sacrifice and commitment Honor Guard members make.

“These individuals served our nation,” he said. “They could have come back home and not served, but they are serving today by honoring these fallen veterans. Their job at the cemetery is to provide the last final military goodbye, the send-off.”

Giving Veterans a proper goodbye is in jeopardy, though.

The average age of an Honor Guard member is 77 to 78 years old. An American Legion Post in Philo has 20 members, eight of whom are over 90 years old.

“We are at a point right now where it is critical that we bring on younger honor guard members,” Darby said.

To donate to Operation Honor Guard or to find out more information about serving, visit https://www.operationhonorguard.us/.

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Details are still being ironed out, but the community is invited to join the students as they honor those who have served.

A reception will follow the program.

The post Heritage Veterans Day Ceremony first appeared on SJO Daily.

Ceremony Nov. 12 from 8:10 to 8:35
The National Anthem played by the Oakwood High School Band will kick-off Oakwood High School’s Veteran Day program at 8:10 a.m.

Oakwood will then recognize students planning on joining the military after graduation before recognizing the DAR (Daughters of the Revolution) Anniston Brant and SAR (Sons of the Revolution) Caleb Lashuay.

Oakwood staff US Army Sgt (E-5) Lyle Hicks who served from 1969-1971 and US Air Force MSgt (E7) John Odle, who served from 1983-2003 will be honored. All other Veterans in the audience will also be recognized.
Rich Darby will talk about the Operation of the Honor Guard before Taps is played by Luke White and Tori Roberson.

District veterans are invited to come to the event and also any parents or grandparents of students are invited.

Oakwood Junior High School

Oakwood Junior High’s Student Council will sponsor a chili suppler for Veterans on Friday, Nov. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Oakwood Junior High School. To raise money for the Homeless Veterans Program, the student council also hosts an essay contest. 

The post Oakwood Veterans Day Ceremonies first appeared on SJO Daily.

November is a time to give back.

“It is important that the (Homer Legion) Auxiliary, and actually everyone, continue to support our veterans because without them supporting our country, we may be living in a whole different way,” Homer Legion Auxiliary member Kim Graham said.

“Our veterans fought for our freedom and gave up their families to do so. There are some veterans that were injured and cannot live the life they deserve, so it is important we try to do what we can to help them.”

The Homer Auxiliary works year-round to provide veterans in the VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville with items they may need.

Many of the supplies they are able to provide come from their annual Veteran’s Supply Drive in November.

After six years of collecting supplies at the Homer Gazebo, the group will move indoors to the Homer Methodist Church this year for the supply drive and to host a pancake breakfast.

“This year we planned a breakfast and we didn’t want our members not wanting to be occupied two weekends in a row, so we decided to do it at the same time,” Graham said.

Still hoping for a great turnout on the Saturday, Nov. 2 event, product and monetary donations will go directly to the needs of veterans.

“The donations are always used for veterans whether at the VA, home-bound,  homeless or those stationed overseas,” Graham said.

“The supplies (and) toiletries we receive from the Veteran’s Drive and year-round are taken to the VA and distributed to the veterans that live there.”

Graham said that most of the supplies go to the nursing home side of the VA.

“If our supply room at the VA has an overflow of certain items we keep those in our auxiliary storage and sometimes we send items along with items we purchase to soldiers overseas that someone has asked if we could send something to someone.”

But the running joke is that is someone has something they want to donate, the Auxiliary will find a place for it.

“Once in a while people will donate items we cannot use, so we have donated those to other organizations or different church programs,” Graham said.

“We have even picked up furniture in the past and donated it to veterans that get placed in their first home after being homeless for several years.”

Focusing on veterans first, realizing that some do not have family nearby, the Auxiliary also helps the elderly get to doctors appointments, picks up groceries for them and helps them get to church or fix meals.

The post Homer Auxiliary hosts opportunity to give back to Veterans on Nov. 2 first appeared on SJO Daily.