Veterans looking for more veterans

By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason,FCT Writer
American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars organizations are currently recruiting new members so that a military funeral detail can be established in Franklin county.
Lawrence County's American Legion currently has a military funeral detail so that every veteran in their county will have a military funeral if so desired, Clayton Suddith, Legion member, said.
"The Army only provides the full military funerals for active military who die," Suddith said.
In most cases, the Army will send out a few military members from Huntsville, but "not enough to give a full military funeral detail," Suddith said.
"It takes 21 soldiers to complete a full military detail," Suddith added.
In the past, Franklin County has relied on the National Guard to perform these military details, but now guardsmen are unable to perform these details because they are being deployed, Troy Oliver, Legion and VFW member, said.
Besides performing military funeral detail, the American Legion and the VFW are working together to help veterans with doctor's appointments, shopping and other things that older veterans need help with, Oliver said.
"We want to be able to help other veterans, and to do fundraising for scholarships, and other things. But we need more members to be able to do these things," Oliver said.
The National American Legion and VFW are encouraging members to go inside classrooms to discuss their experiences with the country's children, Oliver said.
"The older veterans are the most patriotic veterans and we need to instill that in our younger generation," Oliver said.
The American Legion meets the second Thursday of each month at Jonathan's Restaurant. For more information, contact Troy Oliver at 332-4955 or Clayton Suddith at 332-5496.