The Veterans Sound Off Podcast
On each episode of the show we will travel across the State of Mississippi and visit each American Legion Post and discover how the members there are still serving America in their communities.
The Veterans Sound Off Podcast
American Legion Post 2022 Olive Branch: Honoring Those Who Served
American Legion Post 2022 in Olive Branch, Mississippi, is making significant strides in serving local veterans just two years after its inception. The episode shines a light on the challenges of starting a new post, the critical role of honoring veterans at funerals, and the importance of engaging younger veterans through community building.
• Founding story of Post 2022 from discussions at a golf tournament
• Process of navigating bureaucratic challenges for post establishment
• Rapid growth from a small group to over 50 members within two years
• Commitment to veteran honors through an active funeral honor guard
• Discussion on engaging younger veterans and overcoming generational gaps
• Importance of creating a welcoming community for veterans and their families
• Insightful anecdotes emphasizing the value of service, honor, and connection throughout the episode
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This is the Veterans Sound Off Podcast.
Johnathan Michael Fleming:Hard, work, work. Let's get it going. Let's go Hard work, work.
Jerry Allhands:I'm your host, Jerry Allhands, a veteran of the US Air Force and Army and a Mississippi Pass Department Commander of the American Legion. Each week, we visit an American Legion post and visit with the Legion family there. As we travel the state, we'll visit with other groups and organizations that are serving America's veterans and their families Today. If you enjoy this podcast series, I'm asking you to join in supporting us in whatever way you can, whether it's a monthly subscription or by sponsoring an ad. For more information on how you can support this series, please call 662-902-6658 or send a text Either way. We appreciate you and thank you for making this podcast possible. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and mark your calendars as next Monday we travel to Cornuth in the upper northeast corner of the state of Mississippi and visit with US Marine veteran Nora Moreland. She's commander of Perry A, johns Post no 6.
Nora Moreland:My name is Nora Moreland and I invite you to join us on the next episode.
Jerry Allhands:Today we are in northwest Mississippi at the newest chartered American Legion post in the state, post no 2022 in Olive Branch. We sit down with Post Commander Bob Buntyn and Department of Tennessee Post 1 Commander Terry Adams.
Johnathan Michael Fleming:Hard work, hard work. I turn it up.
Jerry Allhands:This morning I get the privilege and opportunity to sit and talk with one of the newest American Legion posts in the state of Mississippi. I am with Commander Bob Buntyn and we are at Post 2022. And today I'm going to ask if Bob would introduce himself, please.
Bob Buntyn:Oh well, good morning. I'm Bob Buntyn, Commander of the American Legion Post 2022 here in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We were founded here, chartered in 2022, in the Olive Branch Country Club, which is the only Purple Heart golf course country club in the state of Mississippi. They were formed, like I said, in 2022. We have since moved our meetings to the New Life Community Church in Olive Branch, which we did two months ago, but we still do a lot of things at the Olive Branch Country Club. What's the address?
Jerry Allhands:at the new location.
Bob Buntyn:It's New Life Community Church on Craft Road in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
Jerry Allhands:And we will look that address up and have it ready in just a little while. Joining you this morning is Mr.
Terry Adams:Terry Adams.
Jerry Allhands:Mr Adams is the commander for Post 1 of Memphis, Tennessee. Is that correct?
Terry Adams:That's correct, the oldest post in the state, the oldest post.
Jerry Allhands:So you're a 105-year-old post in Tennessee, 106.
Terry Adams:106. We were chartered July 2nd of 1919. Wow, this is our 106th birthday coming up All right.
Jerry Allhands:Giving Bob here a chance to look that address up. Terry, if you would tell me a little bit about what brings you to this post here in Olive Branch, mississippi.
Terry Adams:Well, Bob and I have been friends about eight years. He joined our post one back then and he became an officer in the post and he seemed to enjoy working with the veterans and the more he worked with it, the more he enjoyed it. One day he said, terry, he says I'm thinking of starting a post down in olive branch, what do you think? And I said I think that's marvelous, let's do it. So I helped him get it off the ground and our inaugural meeting was a good turnout and since then it's done nothing but grow and succeed at making good things happen for the veterans. Bob, yes, I found that address new life community church, 7197, craft road in olive branch and that's k-r-a-f-t road, c-r-a-f-t Road, craft, craft Road.
Jerry Allhands:How about that zip code?
Bob Buntyn:38654. 38654. Anywhere you go in Olive Branch Mississippi, it's 38654.
Jerry Allhands:We're not that large.
Bob Buntyn:We're a town of 45,000, 48,000 roughly, so Olive Branch, mississippi is fairly small, but we're joined at the hip to Memphis, tennessee, which is fairly large.
Jerry Allhands:And you get lost in Memphis really you get lost in Memphis.
Bob Buntyn:They have several zip codes.
Jerry Allhands:What's the date and the day and time that y'all meet again?
Bob Buntyn:We meet on the third Thursday of the month at 630.
Jerry Allhands:Bob? What branch of service were you in and what makes you eligible to be in the American Legion?
Bob Buntyn:What branch of service were you in and what makes you eligible to be in the American Legion? Spent six years in the United States Navy, four years active, two years in active reserves, and I am a Vietnam veteran. I did two tours, one in 69, the second tour in 1972. I finished and so therefore I'm actually eligible to belong to the American Legion, which I am, and I'm also a member of the VFW.
Jerry Allhands:I'm a life member of the American Legion and if I can ask, what was your job in the Navy when you were on active duty?
Bob Buntyn:First two are those communications. My rate. Cyn was established specifically for the Vietnam War. The communications showman later became what is known now as a crypto technician, but back then we were called communications showmans, so we did communications. You know radar, radio teletype, all nine yards. This was Task Force 76, amphibious Group 1, my first tour In San Diego. I was sent to train on an SPS-10 radar system, so I joined Special Warfare Group 1 for my second tour running radar. Even though I wasn't a radarmant, I was still a communications gentleman. So I did dual duty. I did communications, crypto clearance and radar. Then, when I got back to San Diego, they transferred me to the CB base in Port Hueneme, california. So I spent my last year with the 31st Naval Construction Regiment. So I get to do three years with the amphibibs and one year with the Seabees.
Jerry Allhands:And last year in California.
Bob Buntyn:My last year was in California. All four years, I mean, I was stationed in Coronado Island, san Diego was my home base, and then the last year I spent in Port Hueneme, california, with the Seabees.
Jerry Allhands:And Terry, if I can ask, what makes you eligible for the American Legion?
Terry Adams:United States Marine Corps proudly served 1968 to 1970. My job was pretty basic. I started out as a Remington Raider, a clerk typist, did that for a few months and then they handed me an M-16 and said your new MOS is 03-11. You're a grunt. I said every Marine's a grunt. Where do you want me to file this? And they said your new MOS is 0311. You're a grunt. I said every Marine's a grunt. Where do you want me to file this? And they said no, no, no, you're going to carry it. It's like well, that was Anna the Joyride, so that qualified me for the American Legion.
Jerry Allhands:And we're glad to have you, both of you. Thank you. I like to ask those questions. Actually, we'll probably edit this, my Actually we'll probably edit this. My wife has asked me. She said you've got to start asking some of their stories. What makes them eligible? What do they do in the service? And I'm like, okay, I can ask those questions, but I always like to ask permission first, because some folks just don't like to tell them. Bob, knowing that you guys have started up the post here, what instigated that for you?
Bob Buntyn:instigated that for you. Well, actually it was a golf tournament. At this golf course, once a year we have a big golf tournament that supports all the different veterans organizations in the area and, let's see, this would have been in 2019. Is that right? I believe it would be. Yeah, 2019.
Bob Buntyn:At the golf tournament here, we had a large turnout and was talking with the mayor and a few people afterwards and I was asked the question why doesn't Olive Branch have a VFW or an American Legion or something like that? I didn't really have an answer. I've only been here for 22 years. Every other city in DeSoto County has at least an American Legion or a VFW post, and here we are, the original Purple Heart City for the county, and we don't have anything.
Bob Buntyn:So would you be interested in starting an American Legion post? Well, I hadn't really thought about it until I talked to Terry, because I was at the time slated to become the commander of Post 1 Memphis, tennessee, to move up from being finance officer. So I spoke with Terry and he said I would be more than glad to help you start a post, which is good, because he's the only person that I have ever known that has started an American Legion post from scratch. So that's basically the. The mayor wanted an American Legion post here. I was willing to start one, and Terry was willing to help me out. So here we are. So it's all your fault, it's all his fault.
Terry Adams:Yes, his wife still blames me for that.
Bob Buntyn:That's right. My wife does blame Terry for me being gone all the time.
Jerry Allhands:I understand that, terry, you're the commander of Post 1 in Memphis.
Terry Adams:Again. Yes, I've been the commander there a couple of times and it's an honor and a pleasure on most occasions. But being Post 1, the first number they find when they look in the phone book or look on Google is Post 1, and so we get all the calls. We're very fortunate we brought some good people on board there that are stepping up and doing the due diligence to become officers, and our service officer happens to be the Shelby County service officer also, so he's he's very efficient, he knows what he's doing, he he doesn't have to go back to the books all the time. It's not to say that the other post service officers are not just as good. I'm just going to say that we know we have the best because we're number one.
Bob Buntyn:Oh yeah, how many times have I heard that I like?
Jerry Allhands:that, in addition to being post commander, do you hold a state office?
Terry Adams:No, I've been district commander several times. I've been a state vice commander. I've been with the American Legion 39 years so I've started post in several states and helped to revive posts that were dying and got posts that were floundering back on track. But it's something I enjoy doing because working with the veterans it's just part of our family tradition. My grandfather started a post during the episode right after World War I. He was a charter member of a post, uh 14 up in indiana. Uh my dad being a world war two vet, of course he was member. All my brothers have been members from the army and the marines, and my boys uh air force and uh army and they've all been members. And my now my grandson, is going to be a member as soon as he gets a his first day of active duty.
Jerry Allhands:Don't want and let me guess you're you're paying his dues yes I've done that yes, and I do it with pride. There you go terry if you would uh, I'm sorry, bob, if you would um founding the the post over here. What did that involve? Let's start from the beginning. You got the request from I guess you said the mayor, from the mayor, correct? And what was your first step, besides calling Terry and asking for?
Bob Buntyn:help. Well, your first step is dealing with the IRS.
Bob Buntyn:I just rolled my eyes for those of you who don't have audio the first thing you have to do is get an EIN, your employee number and what you've established.
Bob Buntyn:Your EIN is a in our case a 501c19, which is similar to a 501c3, but 19 is, for military organizations, a little different in the way that you can get donations and the way the money is handled. So once that you've established your EIN, then you have to go back to the IRS and fill out paperwork to be a non-profit. So once that is established and within three years, you have to file your 990 paperwork, which is your income and expense statements for the year, which ours will be filed, as a matter of fact, next week for post-2022. We just finally got our determination as a nonprofit three weeks ago, so it's taken two years to work through that process with the IRS and you have three years to get it done and have all your paperwork filed and everything done. Now I did find out later on that typically this is all done by a lawyer. I am certainly no lawyer, but with the help of Terry and our accountant and Jim Gore, who's our finance officer, we were able to pull all the paperwork together and we are now a legitimate 501c19.
Terry Adams:You missed one step in there. What step was that? You have to get 15 people to sign on to be members, Actually that's national statute.
Bob Buntyn:Mississippi is 10. Yeah, 10 to start a post in Mississippi. But yeah, national is 15.
Jerry Allhands:So you've dealt with the federal government and you've dealt with the Department of Mississippi and the American Legion National Organization out of Indianapolis. What was it dealing with Mississippi? I'm assuming you had to start with Mississippi first, correct, was there paperwork or requests that you had to do? Did you have to meet with someone from the department.
Bob Buntyn:No, I didn't have to meet with anyone. But you file a request for a temporary charter and the temporary charter is good for one year and in that time you're working with the IRS and your accountant to get all the necessary paperwork done. Then, after the one year probationary period, then you are allowed to file for your permanent charter and so that paperwork is filled out and sent to National. That takes about six to eight months for that to go through the process and be approved. Then you receive your permanent charter and of course, in the course of all of this you got to have some place to go. That's where we came up with the Olive Branch Country Club. It's very conveniently located to everyone. In Olive Branch.
Bob Buntyn:It is a Purple Heart golf course, the only Purple Heart Country Club golf course in the state of Mississippi and is very veteran-friendly, so we were able to secure a meeting room here to start the post with, got all the paperwork done and then received our final charter. About a year ago it would have been July of last year we received our permanent charter.
Jerry Allhands:And who did you work with in the department or locally, besides Terry that you had to do all this paperwork with?
Bob Buntyn:Jim Gore, who is our finance officer.
Terry Adams:And Mike Fronabarger and Mike Fronabarger.
Bob Buntyn:And Mike Fronabarger, who is the former department commander of the state of Mississippi. And Jim Gore is not with us today because he is the VFW quartermaster for 684, and he is at the VFW conference in Nashville, tennessee, this weekend 1984, and he is at the VFW Conference in Nashville, tennessee, this weekend. So he wears two hats, as the VFW and the American Legion our finance officer. So Jim worked very closely with me to get the post started as well. Michael Hill, our vice commander, also came from well, a lot of us came from Post 1, memphis, tennessee.
Jerry Allhands:We stole.
Bob Buntyn:Post 1's awesome members to our post, which we knew was going to happen when we started all of this. So I had easily 10 members sign up just right off the bat. The last printout I had, we are now at 55 members, 55.
Bob Buntyn:And you're barely three years old. Yeah, we're two years old and I'm about to hopefully double that number. We belong to several different organizations. One organization I belong to is CVMA, the Combat Vets Motorcycle Association. Cvma is not allowed to have a clubhouse. They're not a motorcycle club, they're a motorcycle association. All veterans, 99% of Gulf War veterans but I got to thinking the other day they can't have a clubhouse like a motorcycle club does.
Bob Buntyn:Where do they meet? They meet at the American Legion and they meet at the VFW. So I'm going to go to CVMA and ask them what will happen to their meetings if the VFW and the American Legion were to disappear because there's no membership. So I'm going to see if I can get 50 to sign up with the American Legion from CVMA within the next couple of meetings. I'm looking forward to pictures of that. I think it's a natural fit for me and I tell people and Harry tells me too he has members post-1 that live overseas. How many meetings do you think they attend? Yeah, exactly, so you don't have to be American Legion and attend meetings every month. You can live in Timbuktu and be a member of the American Legion still, keep in touch with the emails and the newsletters and all the publications, and so I think it's a great opportunity. I really do.
Terry Adams:Post 1 has members in Poland, alaska, the Virgin Islands, okinawa, japan, all across the 48 contingents. In the lower states we recruit under the idea that as a member, you are already helping us, no matter where you live. Because when we go to Congress on a national basis, or even on a state basis, they look at numbers and Congress counts on those numbers to vote for them. And so when you walk in there and tell Congress and say, hey, I've got 1.8 million members, congress sits up and listens. If you tell them we've got 180 members, they're going to go. Oh, thank you for coming. And so by being a member, they are already helping every other veteran in the country.
Jerry Allhands:So it's pretty important when somebody tells you that they just don't have the time to attend a meeting to make it clear to them how important it is just to be a member.
Terry Adams:We don't call them every month and say we need you at this event. We don't call and say why didn't you attend this meeting. We don't call and say you know we need money. We always need money. Every American Legion or any nonprofit group needs money meeting. We don't call and say you know we need money, we always need money. Every every american legion or any non-profit group needs money. It's a given. So we don't bother to do that because we figure you're going to do what you want to do and if you want to attend an event, you're going to do that if you want.
Terry Adams:Don't pressure you nope, if you want to attend a meeting, you're going to do that. If you have a problem with the group, you're going to come in and tell us and that's what we have the groups for let's get it going, let's go let's pause for a moment to hear from some of the people who have helped to make this episode possible with their financial support.
Jerry Allhands:a very special thank you to Dean and Judy Graves of Mount Vernon, Missouri, for their support. Dean passed away recently without ever having heard the podcast, but he believed in this project and his support helps to make each episode possible, and for that we say thank you.
Kenny McMinn:Hey, this is Kenny McMinn. I'm the commander at Post 1990 in Nesbitt, Mississippi. I just want to give a shout-out to my son, Matt McMinn, who's serving in the United States Navy. I also want to recognize my daughter. If you're active duty, you know how stressful it is being a spouse of a serving member, and especially when they're deployed. I earn my pay.
Johnathan Michael Fleming:I grab my ruck and move on out. I gotta go. I march and shout Hard work, hard work.
988:When a person calls 988, they're connected to a crisis counselor. Crisis is completely self-defined. If you're wondering if you should call, you should probably call. A caller can expect to talk about coping skills, talk about resources and ways to move forward. Beyond the call, they can call us, they can chat, they can text and when they come out on the other side they're feeling better. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifelineorg.
Terry Phillips:I'm Terry Phillips with Post 6, and I invite you to join us and listen to all the podcasts.
Jerry Allhands:We need your help in keeping this podcast going. Your continued financial support enables us to produce these podcasts for you. Call 662-902-6658 today and we'll give you all the details on how you and or your business can become a sponsor. And now back to this episode of the Veterans Sound Off Podcast, realizing that we're talking about 2022 today, post-2022. Why 2022? For a post number? How did you get that number?
Bob Buntyn:The year- that we started.
Jerry Allhands:You chose that number, the last post that was started was 2001.
Bob Buntyn:On the Gulf Coast post-2001. Post-1990, we started in 1990. So in talking with Fronabarger just Mike we were going there was a post-10 in Lake Comirat, which is not far from here, and that post has been inactive for a number of years. So we were looking at becoming post 10, but the department decided it would be best to close post 10 down and just start a new post. So we took on the number of the year that we applied for our charter.
Jerry Allhands:Was Mike, just Mike, just Mike, the joke there being nobody can spell or say his last name Ron and Barger he jokingly says I don't know if I know how to spell it anymore, so we call him just Mike. Was he department commander?
Bob Buntyn:Yes, he was department commander right when we started the post and he's attended almost every one of our meetings. He's very active. Nice to have somebody local right it is he really is Well great.
Jerry Allhands:So tell me about some of the activities that go on at your post. What have you done this past year that you're really, I guess you could say, proud of?
Bob Buntyn:Our post, along with Post 1 Memphis, we have the only American Legion funeral honor guard in the Mid-South. We do approximately 100 funerals a year. We've done as many as five funerals in a single Seven. Seven funerals excuse me, I forgot about the last two in a single day. Seven funerals in three states in a single day.
Bob Buntyn:I don't ever want to do that again, but we did it. We pulled it off. Rarely do we have to say no to a funeral, but recently we were on national tv. I got a call from the lady that does the scheduling at west tennessee veteran cemetery, which is where, which is in germantown, slash collierville, tennessee. Okay, it's about 15 minutes north of here, ollie branch, and so. So she gives me a call and says I have an unusual request which I get from time to time. She said I have a Civil War veteran being buried here at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery Civil War and it's a recommittal.
Bob Buntyn:Sandy Willis was a slave in Franklin, tennessee. He escaped slavery, went to Ohio and joined the US Army. He was an Army veteran two and a half years, moved back to Tennessee, back to the plantation as a free man, got married, had 11 kids, died on the plantation and was buried. His great-great-granddaughter wanted to find him and have him buried in a military cemetery, which she accomplished with her second cousin. They spent years doing research. They actually found his grave site on the plantation. He was escorted by the Patriot Guard riders to a funeral home in Franklin, tennessee, where he was put in an appropriate coffin. The Patriot Guard riders escorted the coffin and the funeral possession from Franklin, tennessee, to the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery where he was buried with full military honors cemetery where he was buried with full military honors, except for the army could not provide a firing party because he did not qualify Military.
Bob Buntyn:So if you look at the order of service it says that order of service. At the very top here it says United States Honor Guard. At the bottom here it says United States Honor Guard, 21-gun salute. The Army wouldn't do it because he did not qualify for the rifle team. So she called me and I said oh yes, we will definitely be there with a full honors rifle team. And so I guess it was about a month, maybe six weeks later. I'm sitting there one Sunday morning getting ready to go to church. My wife says hey, you're on TV what Our honor guard was on the CBS morning news Sunday morning news. Honor Guard was on there doing this morning when it got so late For Sergeant Sandy Wills.
Terry Adams:More recently we had a call from a funeral home. The Army was not going to be able to make it. They didn't think, and the guy called me that morning wanted to know if we could do a funeral that afternoon. Bob and I stepped up and our bugler stepped up. Pat said, yeah, let's do this. And all they needed was a bugler and a couple of people to fold the flag. This is like nine o'clock in the morning for a two o'clock funeral in the afternoon. We said, yeah, we'll do this, we do that.
Jerry Allhands:How many people show up for that? I mean how many members of the team?
Bob Buntyn:We have 23 members on the team. Typically we'll have three to five that can show up. It takes a minimum of three to do the rifles and we do have a lady that does live taps, but we also have a bugle with the electronic insert. So if we can't get live taps, we still can do the electronic taps. We have 10 M1 Garands. Our oldest is a Springfield, one of the very first Springfields ever made in Springfield and shipped to the Army. Wow, used in World War II. We have one of the original Winchesters that was ever made. We have one that was made by International Harvester and most people don't realize that the United States Post Office made them one rifles for World War II. Did you know that? I did not know that, yep.
Jerry Allhands:Explains why I'm still getting mail from 19,. Never mind.
Terry Adams:So we have a lot of history in in what we do. We do it with honor and I've had people say, well, we need them right now and we show up and we don't have enough for the team, and there will be veterans there in blue jeans and t-shirts and vest and they said, well, we'll help. And then I get later. Somebody said, well, why weren't they in a uniform? It's like, well, they were here in honor of the deceased. They didn't know.
Bob Buntyn:We had clothes on.
Terry Adams:They didn't know they were going to be part of that team until they got there, and to me it's not what you wear. Got there, yeah, and to me it's not what you wear. If you go back to the civil war and well, any war back over the years of 249 years we've been a country. There's been a lot of times uniforms or whatever you had on when you got there. And I, if a person does it with respect and honor, I don't care maybe I'm wrong.
Bob Buntyn:Now we could sit here and fill up your day with stories about funerals, but there's one I would love for Terry to share with you. That happened just south of Oxford, mississippi, in a little town called Bruce.
Terry Adams:We got the call to do honors for a Vietnam vet who had passed away and only two of us could make it. But we got on our motorcycles and rode down the. It was down at the end of a dead end road, a dirt road with. Got there and they said that's okay, you don't need to worry about the rifles, everybody here will fire. I said, well, that's wonderful. I said, okay, let's get this team together.
Terry Adams:And I got them together and their team had six guys who had never been in the military, so they weren't sure about military honors, and they had seven shotguns with live rounds. And I went okay, this is going to get more interesting, I can see that now. So I had to walk them through what the steps were to do the the rifle salute, shotgun salute. And when we lined up I told everybody. I said okay, I need everybody to take two large, large steps backwards. I said why? I said you're firing live and there's a whole bunch of power lines running across up there. We don't want to drop them. Oh, yeah, we see that.
Terry Adams:So we fired and once we had done our salute, three rounds. There wasn't a sound from a bird, a leaf, anything. It was dead quiet around there. They had a homemade cannon using homemade black powder and the young lady that fired it was about 25 feet away when she pulled the rope and the ground shook even where we were. But it was done with honor, because they respected this guy. They respected this veteran. It was just. You never know what we're going to do when we get a call to go to a funeral.
Jerry Allhands:I've done a lot of military funerals over the last 50 years. Never have I experienced one like that.
Terry Adams:That would have just Only one I've done in 39 years, so wow that's yeah, you had to share that one.
Bob Buntyn:I had to share that one. That was good. I've heard some stories. I've seen some stories, but that that one tops them all yeah you had me at shotguns that was. And then terry said when they finished that they all gathered around like the campfire and they had a barbecue, a family barbecue.
Terry Adams:Before you could do that, though, everybody had to go to the memorial structure they had built there for all the family members that were veterans. They were cremated and their ashes were put in the ground there, and you had to have a drink and toast them. And then we went to the barbecue, and they wouldn't let us leave till we ate. It was like, okay, I guess we're gonna stay and have food amazing. But it's family, it's honor to the family and we.
Terry Adams:We have had some very sad ones. One young man committed suicide in his backyard while his mom was at the store. Yeah hung himself in the backyard. We had a young lady over in Arkansas who had planned her suicide everything for several years, including making sure her insurance was in effect so that it would negate the suicide clause. It's sad. You understand it because you're a veteran, but you hate it anyway.
Jerry Allhands:That brings up a very good point there, and of course just Mike would say this at this time is the 988 number.
Jerry Allhands:How important it is for veterans and families to be aware that when you have those dark thoughts, you're not by yourself. Yeah, I can't speak for the two of you, I can speak only for myself, but there are times when that cloud will move in and calling your best bud who may not answer the phone. Maybe he's busy, maybe he's tied up, maybe he's having a dark cloud himself. But you can always call that 988 number and there will be somebody there to to listen. Uh, not judge. Uh, I think now they tell you to press one for a veteran. Uh, but 988 is for everybody who's having those dark moments. And, trust me, if you haven't had one yet, I can, can't promise you one, but I can tell you they will get gray, those clouds, sometimes.
Terry Adams:I know.
Bob Buntyn:In talking with one of the psychologists.
Bob Buntyn:Recently I took a trip to Washington DC with Forever Young 38 Vietnam veterans from around the country and so in the evenings we would get together and talk. And he said in his experience and he's a veteran himself, trained psychologist that in his experience PTSD and he doesn't call it PTSD, he calls it PTS. He said it's not a disorder, it's a syndrome and it's not a disorder. He said in my experience and they do, a lot of World War II veterans they take them back to Normandy, they take them to the Battle of the Bulge. They just took a group to New Orleans to the World War II Museum and the Super Bowl, having a great time down there right now. But he told us, he said in my experience those that have PT and most people that have served in combat do. He said my experience is when you get into your eighties, late seventies and eighties it actually gets worse because you have more time to sit around and think about those things and it just permeates and it builds and you've got to have a release.
Terry Adams:Yeah, I just took a course through Columbia on recognizing the symptoms of a true suicide, suicidal person and they were saying the statistics are up. For those of us over 70 they're up 4.9 percent and that's. That was a sobering figure when I think about all of our friends Bob me that are over 70. And the fact that the numbers went up where I would have thought they would have gone down. So it's something that we have to be aware of. So it's something that we have to be aware of and I encourage anybody who's even having a kick around thought talk to your buddies, talk to the VA, talk to 988, call somebody because you know you're here for a reason yeah, yeah, you know, we in the American Legion for years we've had this buddy check system that we've been doing for decades now, I guess, and Legion for years
Jerry Allhands:we've had this buddy check system that we've been doing for decades now, I guess. We set aside a week I can't remember what month it is now, but we set aside a week to call a buddy. I tell people in my post, in my district you don't need a week, just call somebody every day. One person, just one person. Just make a difference. I try to be that person who'll answer the phone, no matter day or night, it doesn't matter. I would rather hear your voice and just be there for you than go see you in the hospital, then attend your funeral.
Be The One Marcus Luttrell:Be willing to show up for a veteran, Be willing to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. Be willing to push and prod if things don't add up.
Be The One David Bellavia:Be willing to trust your gut, follow your heart and take a risk, be willing to sit without saying a word, without checking the time, without trying to solve.
Be The One Lisa Biddle, David Bellavia, Michael Rodriguez, :Sometimes suicide wants to rip a person from this world. Be willing to grab with both hands and hold on to a friend, a spouse a daughter, a son, be the one who's willing to ask to guess wrong to even offend another, to keep them safe, to remind them that they are valuable. If you know a veteran, be the one to reach out and make them a part of your life.
Jerry Allhands:Well, we've gone down a rabbit hole on that one. So backing up a little bit, Sorry, no, no. Hey, this is a subject I will talk about anytime and it's again not, uh, you know, again not speaking for the, for either of y'all, but I've, I've had those moments myself and recently had that same situation. Just bam, there, that cloud was and had to. I'm not going to say suicidal thoughts, but just thoughts of boy.
Bob Buntyn:This, this this really, this really sucks, this really sucks.
Jerry Allhands:One of the things I would like to mention is we talk about being as veterans, how hard it is to acclimate to becoming a civilian again. You know, I mean, my God, most of us went through a minimum of six to eight weeks of basic training, a minimum Some of you poor guys went for a while. I've done basic training three times myself, so well suited for basic life. But the idea of getting out of the service and not having that sense of self-pride or job pride or whatever. You know, some of us took a while to get a job. It took a while to get to job. It took a while to get to where you were saying, hey, I'm proud to be a civilian and uh, I, these guys coming back from iraq and afghanistan.
Jerry Allhands:You know, I'm just now starting to hear those stories of how hard it is for them, you know, to uh take over or take off that uniform and put on a civilian shirt, which is nice, by the way. Seeing those people who need to talk. That's where I think becoming a member of the American Legion or one of the other service organizations is going to be so important. They can come in and talk without being judged, and if anybody's ever in your post and they're judging or they're telling somebody they can't be in the Legion, you send them to me and I'll put the 13 where it needs to be, all right it's really sad and an instance of rejection of veterans.
Terry Adams:I have a little place I hang out once in a while over brewskis and you know I have a brewer too and I got a call from one of our members up there one day. He goes Terry says you got to get over here. There's three young ladies in uniform in flight suits. And I said, okay, give me a few minutes and I'll be over. And told my wife I was going to meet three young ladies in flight suits and she laughed and she said don't drink too much.
Terry Adams:And that's all she said. And you know, she knows that if they're in flight suits I'm going to talk to them about the legion. And so I went over there and I walked in and I knew without looking where they were at, because of all the young guys, the vultures hanging around, the fresh meat, you know. And I walked over the table, just pull that chair and sit down and said, hi, I'm terry adams with american legion. And this young lady goes.
Terry Adams:I went in american legion hall by my dad's house. They told me I couldn't come in without a membership card. I said now you're active duty. She goes. Yes, sir, she says we fly with the CH-54. And I said well, they were wrong.
Terry Adams:And I took an application out of my pocket and laid it in front of her. I said fill that out. She said why? I said because in the next couple of days I'm going to have you a membership card. Then I want you to go back in that post and if they say anything to you, I want you to call me. Here's my cell number. And then I'm you to call me. Here's my cell number, and then I'm going to call their commander and I'm going to call their state commander and find out why. And the other two girls said well, what are you doing? And she says I'm joining the American Legion. They said can we join? I said you bet you can, and we'll even pay you all three years' dues this first year. And so I took two more applications, signed them up and then they started pushing drinks over in front of me because they said these guys are buying us drinks. We'll never get out of here drinking and all that.
Terry Adams:And so we got all three of them in as members. They've maintained their membership in our post, even though they live in Virginia. They don't care. We did what we should be doing yeah, Taking care of our veterans.
Bob Buntyn:Well, speaking of which, how you got me into the American Legion.
Jerry Allhands:Tell that story then, Bob.
Bob Buntyn:We were on a toy run for Toys for Tots from Bumpus Harley-Davidson to Le Bonheur.
Terry Adams:Children's Hospital 297 bikes.
Bob Buntyn:Almost 300 motorcycles Right and no police escort, only Interstate 40. Yeah, I'm alive, to tell the story Barely. I've never had so many close calls since Vietnam in my life. So anyway, like I said, almost 300 motorcycles. So I did not want to wait to go in the hospital. You had to sign up and wait for your group and da-da-da.
Bob Buntyn:So a group of us said, well, we'll just go out and ride for a while. So we jump on our motorcycles and we go out for a ride and we're following this guy on this Harley trike. He's got his music blaring and his wife is sitting on the back of this trike knitting she's knitting this whatever on the back of this Harley trike and there's about 12 of us that are following him going down the highway. So we come down south and next thing I know we're in south Memphis and we pull up in the parking lot of Post 1, memphis. We get out, go inside and Terry says, hey, we got free beer. You know how bikers and free beer goes. So we go inside this little house, he opens up the refrigerator and he starts you know whatever you want and handing beers out and everybody's having a good time.
Bob Buntyn:So Terry asked me. He says how long have you been in the American Legion? I said well, I'm not a member of the American Legion. He said you will be. Before you leave here, he says, first of all, here's the application card. If you qualify, what do you mean? If I qualify, I'm a Vietnam veteran. I think I qualify. He says I'll make you a deal. If you sign up today, the post will pay your first year's dues. Now how can you say no to that? I said okay, fill out, hand it to Terry, and the rest is history.
Jerry Allhands:So that's your secret you pay the first of your dues and you give them a beer.
Terry Adams:No, no, no, the beer is easy.
Bob Buntyn:The beer is easy.
Terry Adams:I live on Socialist security. I can't be paying everybody's dues Can relate to that. Yeah, can relate to that Our post has been known to pay dues and I've done the same thing with our post as well, you know I never want money to be an obstacle. No, no, and just like those three girls, I thought they had been wronged, yeah, by that post and, uh, I thought we'd make it up.
Bob Buntyn:They could have had all the guys in there buying their membership for them.
Terry Adams:Oh, yeah, yeah, the amount of beer being bought that day, I'm sure, and the next day one of the young guys came up to me and says well, did you get any of them's phone number?
Johnathan Michael Fleming:And I laughed and said, yeah, all three of them, All three.
Terry Adams:He goes no, and I said, yeah, actually I got their phone number, their home address, their email. He said you're kidding me. I said, no, they all joined the American Legion and you should be a member too. And he goes, but I don't think I'm eligible. I said were you honorably discharged? And he said yeah, I was. I said well, I know you're a Marine.
Bob Buntyn:Well, so many people get confused between the VFW and the American Legion because there are different requirements to join the two organizations. We've talked about this before. I mean long-term we've got a feeling there may just be one organization that you know long-term that survives yet to be seen but we do know we're losing membership because of age. World War II veterans are almost all gone. We only have two left in Ollie Branch and they're both over 100 years old. Yeah, and they're it. Us Vietnam veterans there never were that many of us to begin with. Our numbers are dwindling. The Korean War vets, the Korean War vets, the Korean War vets they were never. I've only met maybe two. And then the younger guys. I mean they're joining things like CVMA, their motorcycle associations, but I don't see a lot of them joining the VFW and the American Legion. We only have two younger ones in our post that are what I consider in their 40s young.
Jerry Allhands:And what do you suppose it is that we're having such a hard time reaching out to the Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Enduring Freedom, Iraq and Afghanistan vets.
Terry Adams:Why are we having a hard time? I heard from a couple of them we don't need you, old guys, you don't know what we're going through. And at that point the fire comes up in my eyes and saying look, I have 11 friends on that Vietnam wall. I have a brother who came back and didn't come back. Don't tell me. We don't know what you're going through, we know. And all you have to do is realize we can stop a lot of that from happening to you if you listen. To do is realize we can stop a lot of that from happening to you if you listen to us. But as you seem to be stubborn and don't believe we can help, I'm sorry but you're wrong. And then they got an attitude and walked off.
Jerry Allhands:It's going to be interesting, like you say, to see where we go in the next 30, 40 years.
Terry Adams:Smaller military Also smaller military now yeah.
Jerry Allhands:And that's again where I think it's important that we have groups like the Sons of the American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Legion Riders, you know.
Bob Buntyn:See, I'm a member of three American Legion posts. I don't get enough. I'm a member of Post 1 as a Sons, I'm a member of 1990 as an American Legion writer and commander of Post 2022. So I'm actually a member of three different American Legion posts.
Terry Adams:Show off. He still has me dues, by the way.
Bob Buntyn:Now I couldn't do that in Tennessee, Right In Tennessee, you have to belong to the post that has an American Legion writer organization Used to In Mississippi oh, used to. I didn't know that changed.
Terry Adams:Just changed at this mid-winter conference In.
Bob Buntyn:Mississippi, you can belong. Since we don't have an American Legion writer post, I can belong to 1990. When I was in Tennessee, I couldn't do that. I didn't know that would just change At the mid-winter conference.
Terry Adams:They they voted on and approved. If your post does not have a sufficient number of riders to start and operate a an american legion riders, then you are allowed to join a riders group from another post only makes sense.
Jerry Allhands:Yeah, I like it, I like it now you know I've been for what 27 years I've been trying to become a rider and the stipulation that you have to own a motorcycle.
Terry Adams:Well, that is one.
Jerry Allhands:We can fix that.
Terry Adams:I have friends over here at Southern Thunder who'd be more than happy to talk to you.
Bob Buntyn:We get you a trailer to put on your truck and take it back down.
Jerry Allhands:There's only one problem with that is I keep asking for a donation, of a motorcycle A donation, and a couple of years ago some smarter like gave me a Harley Davidson. It was about six inches long and about two inches tall and I still couldn't join the riders.
Terry Adams:Did you get? All you needed was the VIN on it, you know.
Jerry Allhands:I may have to go back and look at that.
Bob Buntyn:Yeah.
Terry Adams:I don't think the CC was big enough though. I think it's what 500?. No, their limit, national does not have a limit on the ccs. It's up to the department, and our department of tennessee just dropped theirs from 650 down to 400. I think it was wow, okay, well, because there are some of these sport bikes that are smaller.
Bob Buntyn:Oh yeah, that's true too, they'll outrun you in a heartbeat, yeah, yeah.
Terry Adams:And you know these kids, some of these young people and I'm calling them kids Sure, they're young adults, they're riding these sport bikes and they want to join us, but their bike, the CCs, was too small, mm-hmm. So now they can join us and be a part of our American Legion, and our sons and our riders. Post 1 is the only post in the district that's a true family post. We have the Legion, the SAL, the Auxiliary and the Riders. Yep, wow, and we're proud of what we do.
Jerry Allhands:Okay, there's hope for me after all, you know there's. Yeah, I got the motorcycle endorsement. I've had that forever.
Terry Adams:We'll have Bob. We'll have to see if we can't get him on one of those that has a VIN number on it. All right, there you go.
Jerry Allhands:Well, guys, I appreciate that very much. Earlier you had mentioned about getting a call to uh go to a funeral. What's? What's the minimum amount of time you need to go and represent?
Terry Adams:is it? Well, I know it takes a little bit, but I'm serious, we we two hours you can do it we could actually pull off a funeral in two hours wow if it's not too far away if it's not too far away, right too far away I was, I was in a hospital, I guess, when you did carothersville yeah, we had carothersville, missouri, we had a request yeah, and you know, the guys from mississippi were the ones that stepped up and were able to do it.
Bob Buntyn:Not even what guys from tennessee, my guys here in miss, not even me, I couldn't go.
Terry Adams:They ponied up and took off up there, jeff took his Corvette.
Bob Buntyn:You did have a Tennessee guy, I thought it was all Mississippi. No, no, that's right. Jeff took his Corvette because who rode with him, chief rode with him. I couldn't believe Chief had a Corvette. Chief has a hard time getting it out of his Ford Ranger.
Jerry Allhands:I was going to say there's a story there somewhere. There's a story there somewhere.
Bob Buntyn:Chief is tall he's Air Force Yep, thailand.
Terry Adams:Yeah.
Bob Buntyn:He is our adjutant, okay.
Terry Adams:We will go, if at all possible, on a moment's notice, Because it's that important that the veteran gets his honors.
Bob Buntyn:Like right now at my house. I have three rifles that are cleaned, with clips, loaded to go. All I've got to do is throw them in the truck and go. I'm ready. So in a uniform, I'm good to go. I've got a text message group set up with everybody on it. Here's the funeral. This is where it is what time it's going to be at. I get responses and I tell people don't respond if you can't be there.
Terry Adams:Just let me know if you can't be there. You're telling me I can't go.
Bob Buntyn:It blows my mind sometimes. I'll put the request out there and it's a late. You know Thursday afternoon for an early Friday morning funeral and I'll tell my wife within 15 or 20 minutes. We have it covered. Wow, I've already got enough people to cover a funeral tomorrow morning, so I'll get back in touch with the army or whoever is requesting it. Let them know We'll be there.
Terry Adams:One of the things I'm really proud of is that we have the no known family veterans. You know they call them unclaimed.
Bob Buntyn:We don't.
Terry Adams:No known family.
Bob Buntyn:No known family.
Terry Adams:And when I first started going to the funerals there at West Tennessee, they were still putting them in pine boxes and cardboard boxes and I thought that was just unimaginable in the 21st century that we were doing that. We got with the Memphis Funeral Home Group and Corey said well, sure, there's reasons why they do that. You know, the government doesn't want to pay for a box to begin with and if you're going to put them in a casket it has to be the minimum grade casket and they don't pay for 90 to 180 days and funeral homes expect to get paid and so they can continue their operation. I said I understand all that. Don't you have like display that is last year's model? Or you know, the guy was cremated. You didn't cremate the casket Right, and he goes. Yeah, we probably have some of those. I said why can't we use those? And you know, to this day we don't have that anymore. All the funeral homes have come on board and started doing this. So every veteran, every unknown family veteran, is in a casket, like he should be.
Bob Buntyn:Not long ago we had three at one time. We've done four. I didn't do the four, but I did the three. We've had four. Four unclaimed.
Terry Adams:Wow At onelaimed Wow.
Jerry Allhands:At one time. Are they in local cemeteries or are they in the national cemeteries? They're in the state.
Bob Buntyn:Yeah state cemetery West Tennessee Veterans.
Jerry Allhands:Okay, and that's where? Where's that?
Bob Buntyn:It's just about 15 minutes north of here in Germantown. Right. Then there's National Cemetery, which is in proper Memphis, but it's been closed for quite some time For burials.
Terry Adams:For burials? Yeah, they still do. Interments of ashes.
Jerry Allhands:You know, this is supposed to be about post-2022. They're part of this, yeah that's what I was going to say. You guys have brought up some great information here. If a veteran or his or her family, who do they contact to start the arrangements? Funeral home Funeral home. Funeral home If they want to be buried in a state or national cemetery Funeral home.
Bob Buntyn:The funeral home then contacts the military. The military then says we can or we cannot. If they cannot, then the funeral homes will contact us okay, well, if we could, and sometimes it's just the rifles.
Terry Adams:No, he's asking about them being buried there. Yeah, oh, okay, they need to get a copy of their dd214, go to the cemetery, get pre-registered. If they're not pre-registered the funeral they have to get the dd214 to the funeral home and have them get with the state or national cemetery and then then it can be approved.
Bob Buntyn:That process takes a while yeah and again pre-approved myself. Yeah, I'm pre-approved for west lc veteran cemetery. All my stuff is in a folder at home. My wife knows something happened to me today. Go get that folder and take it down to Brantley Funeral Home. You're done. Everything's taken care of.
Jerry Allhands:That's the hardest part for me in the past was getting people to understand. I'm a former county veteran service officer Talking to veterans and saying get your DD-214, take it to the courthouse, get it registered, make another copy, keep one on file there, get one to your funeral home, get one to you know somewhere in your firebox in the house and make sure your family knows what's in it? One document, one document.
Bob Buntyn:Put it with your insurance papers. Yes, not long ago I got a call from Terry. This guy was in the hospital and he was not expected to make it through the night. His sister couldn't be there because the sister was with the mother in another hospital that was about to pass away. So he wanted a final salute, we call it, and actually wanted the uh hospital, the, the, the guy that took care he was, his organs were being harvested okay.
Bob Buntyn:So the guy that was taking care of all of that was in charge of me coming in to do the final salute, which he videoed for the sister. I did the final salute. So we're we're leaving and and this lady came up and she grabbed my arm and she said can you help me, ma'am, with what she said? Well, my husband's here in the hospital and they don't expect him to live, you know, until overnight and I don't know what to do. I don't know who to contact. He's a veteran. I said well, do you have his DD-214? She says I actually know what that is. I have his DD-214. I said okay. I said you've gone a long way right there.
Bob Buntyn:I said I'm going to go home. I got her phone number. So I'm going to go home and I'm going to get the name and number of the Shelby County Veteran Service Officer I'm going to give. His name is Mike and I'm going to give him. Get him to give you a call and when Mike calls you, I want you to tell him you have the DD-214 and you need to make the arrangements for your husband's burial. So I call Mike up. I gave him the lady's phone number. Within 30 minutes Mike called this lady and within a few hours they had his funeral arranged.
Terry Adams:But she had the 214. Yeah, a good service officer and, being a member of a group like the American Legion, they will tell you time after time. Get a copy of that DD-214. Put it with your insurance papers because you know, the first thing they're going to look for is the money. I hate to say it, but it's a reality but, that's where that paper should be.
Bob Buntyn:The matter of fact, at the Alder Branch Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, at our luncheon Brantley Funeral Home, was the speaker talking about this very same thing. Especially with veterans, with your DDT-14. Wow, and pre-planning.
Jerry Allhands:Mm-hmm.
Bob Buntyn:Pre-planning.
Jerry Allhands:Do as much as possible right now.
Bob Buntyn:Like he said, that is the worst time of your life.
Bob Buntyn:You've got so many big decisions to make and you're already emotional, you're already emotional, you're a mess and you've got to make these big financial decisions, get it done to begin with, and that's what I did. I sat down, it took me an hour and we planned the whole thing out and I'm done and I've got burial insurance. So if something happens to me today and it ain't paid for yet, it's paid for, and so many veterans are under the mistaken that they are going to be fully covered by the VA for all their funeral expenses, and that is not true.
Jerry Allhands:Not at all.
Bob Buntyn:You get your grave site and a headstone. That's it.
Terry Adams:That's all the VA is going to furnish you I cannot say enough good about veteran service officers, especially those with the legion. Uh, my brother-in-law passed away. It was a vietnam vet and my sister was trying to get through some of the paperwork. And I talked to our veteran service officer who got a hold of. She lives up in northern michigan. He got a hold of the veteran service officer in cadillac.
Terry Adams:They got together and in an hour's time paperwork was done you just you can't say enough good about people like that now those guys who are charging money.
Jerry Allhands:That's a whole other story. If you're a veteran and you're looking at needing some work done, please contact your county veteran service officer, your state veteran service officer, your post service officer. We don't charge money. By law we can't charge money and if you're being charged money, you're being ripped off because the service officers your county, state and American Legion service officers they're the best.
Bob Buntyn:Now the flip side of that, though. There is a flip side, and we just went through this with one of our combat vets with CVMA. He'd been working with a veteran service officer for almost a year to get his rating increased and it wasn't going anywhere. So he got in touch with an accredited law firm and there are accredited VA law firms. There are a lot of them that are not. Most of them are not, but there are a few that are. So he did go through one of the certified veterans law firms and they got him to 100%, permanent and total. It cost him, I believe, about maybe I think he said $10,000, somewhere in that area. But if he looks at his pay increase, he said that's only going to take me five months to pay that off and then I'll be at 100% for the rest of my life. So it made sense for him to go. But, like he said, if you do be careful, make sure they are accredited through the VA and the percentage they're going to take.
Bob Buntyn:And the percentage they're going to take.
Jerry Allhands:They're limited.
Bob Buntyn:And he said I knew up up front, but I did the math, yeah, and I'm coming out three or four years from now way better down the road than where I would have been but, bob, if you would give me again the the dates or, excuse me, the day and time that you meet and where, okay, that would be the third thursday of the month at 6 30 at new life community church on craft road in olive branch, mississippi do you feel comfortable sharing your phone number?
Jerry Allhands:somebody wanted to reach out to you, oh, absolutely uh, it's on my business card, uh, 662-812-1008 right, I want to thank you so much for letting me interview you today. And before we let you go, Terry Post 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, when and when.
Terry Adams:We actually meet now in Lakeland, right off of US 70, at the International Harvester Managerial Center. On the second Sunday of the month we have a potluck meeting where everybody brings a nice warm dish or something to eat and the family meets there and we talk about what each group in the family is doing and make the decisions on the Legion of what we're doing.
Terry Adams:And that's on Canada Road. That's on Canada Road, 4523 canada road in lakeland, tennessee. That's a beautiful facility. Uh, three o'clock in the afternoon, everyone is welcome to come out uh, the veterans and their families and come out and see what we're doing, and see what we're up to, and see if we can't help with some of the problems they're having, as well as to just have some fun too.
Jerry Allhands:There you go 4523 canada road, lakeland, tennessee. What's that zip code? Three, eight zero zero two, all right and do you feel comfortable giving a phone number?
Terry Adams:my phone number is all over the interstate and yeah, it's all over, it's everywhere, it's all over, it's everywhere, it's, everywhere, it's everywhere. I don't even know what it is. No, I'm kidding, it's 901-604-1549.
Jerry Allhands:And again to join the American Legion. Simply, what do you need to be in order to be?
Terry Adams:qualified Honorably discharged. Fadd214 says you're honorably discharged. Do you serve active duty, at least one day of active duty between 1941 and now? And if you were serving in 1941, God love you. Active duty can join Active duty, no problem. They're already active duty. They're serving the country today. We love them. We're glad to have them on board. Guard and reserve. Guard and reserve.
Jerry Allhands:Guard and reserve. They can join as well. Yes, sir, gentlemen, I appreciate you so much. Before we leave today, is there anything else you would like to add?
Terry Adams:I'm glad to have you on your show. I'm glad to be, on your show. I hope people continue to listen to you. I think you are obviously sharing a lot of good information, so please listen in in the future.
Bob Buntyn:I appreciate Jerry joining us today and hope to do this again soon. Thank, you.
Jerry Allhands:And that was our visit with the Post 2022, the newest American Legion post in the Department of Mississippi. Be sure to join us next Monday morning as we travel to Corinth, mississippi, and visit with Perry A Johns Post 6 Commander, Nora Moreland.
Nora Moreland:My name is Nora Moreland and I invite you to join us on the next episode.
Jerry Allhands:We need your help in keeping this podcast going. Your continued financial support enables us to produce these podcasts for you. Call 662-902-6658 today and we'll give you all the details on how you and or your business can become a sponsor. A very special thank you to Jonathan Michael Fleming for his musical talents. You can find his CDs and videos on Facebook, instagram, amazon Music and YouTube. We hope you've enjoyed this episode and look forward to your feedback and ask that you subscribe to and share the Veterans Sound Off podcast with your friends and family. If you have a comment, suggestion or questions, or you would like to become a supporter of this podcast, please send an email to jdallhands at outlookcom that's J-D-A-L-L-H-A-N-D-S at Outlookcom, or by calling 662-902-6658. And we'll get back to you as soon as possible. This has been a production of Allh ands Media LLC, with offices in Rena Lara, Mississippi. All Rights Reserved.
