By Stephen Smoot
Last Saturday, American Legion Post 30 held a picnic at the Franklin Town Park to honor Blue and Gold Star families. A lazy, hazy blue sky hung overhead with few clouds. A stiff breeze cut into the heat of the day, making conditions comfortable, even as tablecloths fluttered a bit.
Steve Conrad, commander of Post 30, called the picnic to order for a few introductory words. He opened with “I think I know everybody here.” Then thanked Chris Grimes and his wife “who took care of about everything” with help from others in the post.
Next came the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an invocation that included a prayer to “thank You for the blessings bestowed upon us and our families.”
As everyone gathered under the pavilion in the quick wait for food, many of the veterans engaged in some gentle joshing. One gentleman in a shirt with NAVY emblazoned across his chest was greeted with “couldn’t you get in the Army?”
He responded with a smile, saying “My IQ was too high to get in the Army.”
Grimes, who labored over the grill in the summer sun, also shared his thoughts. He shared ideas on creating support for those in the service, out of the service, and related to those serving.
He talked about “working to help parents without military experience” to get more insight on what their children are doing. “We all speak different languages,” he said, referring to the different jargon in each service branch.
He also added, “We all like to ride each other,” meaning that those in different branches fake contempt for those outside of theirs, in the same manner as brothers often do.
Grimes’ primary concern lay in communication, bringing people together in community. He is starting a private Facebook page “to help people to reach out to one another. It can be difficult to have a son or daughter, a wife or a husband deployed.”
He has also organized projects, such as placing flags on the graves of servicemen. In one Franklin cemetery alone, 400 flags were placed. “That is insane,” Grimes said, adding that “there are a lot of people who have served.”
Most importantly, he urged those in attendance to help with anti-suicide efforts. The suicide rate among male veterans is 1.5 times higher than non veterans. That number jumps to two and a half times more likely among females. Grimes discussed efforts from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and others creating programs to help veterans with physical injuries, PTSD, and other problems.
“It can’t be done without grass roots,” Grimes stated, then went on to say, “If you don’t have grass roots, the program is worthless.” Programs need people to spread the word about their existence.
He then returned to the topic of veteran suicide, adding, “It’s a tough subject, but we have to talk about it.”
After a meal of pasta, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, fruit, and delicious baked goods, the attendees conversed and competed in a game of cornhole.
Conrad also described why those who have served their country ought to join the American Legion. He shared that “it’s always nice for veterans to get together and swap stories about things they’ve done.”
Also important, he added, “the American Legion and VFW have powerful lobbying arms.” This helps them to advocate for veterans’ issues, everything from VA benefits to getting Congress to add a Silver Star designation for permanently wounded veterans.
Conrad also said that this was the first picnic. A Blue Star family has a member serving during a time of military conflict. A Gold Star represented a family with a member who died in action.
