03/28/2024
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By: Katie Galyean

On Saturday, May 28, if you were to walk into the Elizabethtown Walmart, you would have seen people everywhere wearing small, red flowers. These flowers were the Buddy Poppies that the VFW gives out every year in honor of the fallen veterans.
Both young and old got into the spirit of remembrance.  Both McKenzie Storms, 10, of Dublin and Catherine Dowless, 10, of Bladenboro agreed that being able to show their respect for veterans in a visible way gave them a sense of pride.
“Everyone should wear [one], it’s important because they gave us our freedom,” said Dowless.  “They fought for us,” added Storms.
Oliver Gause, commander of the 8062 post and Vietnam veteran, said, “[Memorial Day] is a time to reflect on all of the [veterans] that gave their lives, went missing in action, and have passed since the war. To see that the public is getting more involved every year is uplifting.”
The Buddy Poppy Program is not the only thing that the VFW does for veterans. Gause said, “There are several things that we do for veterans. Transportation to the doctor [and] hospitals, the list just goes on. It’s a privilege.”

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