Plymouth VFW Post Hosts Annual Loyalty Day Event For Volunteers

The Plymouth VFW, and VFW Auxiliary had the honor of hosting a very nice celebration for some of the great volunteers who serve the VFW Posts of District 4 recently. The District 4 VFW Auxiliary comprises all VFW Posts in Wayne County, and have the largest collective membership in the state of Michigan.

This yearly event is called Loyalty Day, and it celebrates the people that spend countless hours volunteering for our local veterans. Every year, the various VFW Posts will each pick a few people to recognize for their efforts, and then a VFW Post is chosen to host the event.

It takes a ton of work to host such an event. There was an Honor Guard ceremony to begin the event, and then there were guest speakers, including Plymouth Mayor, Oliver Wolcott, who got misty eyed, as he explained that he “felt very privileged just to be in the same room as some of our local veterans that were in attendance.”

This was followed by the recognition awards. Leaders of the various VFW Posts took to the podium, and spoke about all of the fantastic contributions that folks have made to benefit our nation's veterans, and the VFW Posts that they belong to. They were each presented with a certificate of recognition, and a small gift.

Every single person recognized, seemed embarrassed, but honored, to receive their certificate, and all spoke about how grateful they were, for the sacrifices that our veterans, and their families, have made for our nation. I know a few of the people that were recognized, and they were almost embarrassed to be one of those that were handed these certificates, because they know that they are but a small handful of the people that volunteer countless hours, as their way of saying
thank you, to those that have served.

I spoke to one of the recipients, and he told me that he had received various certificates of recognition throughout his life, from various organizations, but to receive one from the VFW, and the VFW Auxiliary, was one of the highest honors of his life. He explained to me that while a certificate is simply a piece of paper, with no tangible value, the true value of a certificate, lies with who handed it to you. Who chose to recognize you.

The event ended with food. Our veterans love to cook, and they love to feed their friends. That fact has been true for as long as I can remember. Food was cooked by the Plymouth VFW Auxiliary members, everyone loved it, and everyone left with a full belly, and a smile on their face, which is pretty much how everyone leaves a VFW Post in our great nation...