Serving vets for half a century: VFW Post 4222 will mark 50 years

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4222 is recognizing three of its charter members during their 50th anniversary celebration dinner and meeting at 6:30 p.m. It is only open to members.

Only three veterans remain of the 88 charter members. Honorees are Timothy Blakeman, 84, of Schriever; Gerald Dubois, 91, of Morgan City; and Iven St. Germain, 91, of Stephensville.

Members of the VFW served overseas under hazardous conditions, Post Commander Kenneth Lodrigue said.

Lodrigue has served four years as commander. He has been a member for 16 years.

Lodrigue, as a member of the U.S. Army, was stationed in South America during the Panama conflict.

Membership requirements also include serving during certain time periods , Ray Rutledge said. Rutledge begins his term, along with Sherman Whiting, as quartermaster for fiscal year 2016-17.

Rutledge served in the U.S. Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Rutledge recalled a time when he was in his VFW uniform at a store. A lady he didn’t know approached him and asked if he was a veteran. She shook his hand and thanked him for his service.

She later gave him a note of thanks and a gift card.

“It was really nice of her, and very few people do that,” Rutledge said. “Very few people even tell you thank you. And if you were in Vietnam, they spit on you. … And that’s the truth.”

Senior Vice Commander Robert “Bobby” Boudreaux served during the Tet offensive in Vietnam. He was drafted six months before his 26th birthday.

Veterans during that time were told not to wear their uniform upon returning to the United States. Some of Rutledge’s friends wore civilian clothes.

“When the Vietnam vets came back there was no celebration,” Boudreaux said. “Most of the time we had these demonstrators at the airport either cussing you out, spitting on you, or calling you baby killers and things of this nature.

“That hurt a lot of these veterans. But now , it’s not bad what you see them doing for soldiers coming back now. The poor vets missed out on that because they didn’t get that treatment.”

Boudreaux has been a member of the VFW for three years.

The veterans support each other if no one else does.

“Since I was retired, joining the VFW was a good way to give back to veterans,” Boudreaux said.

The post was founded May 13, 1966, at an old Masonic building on Second Street in Morgan City. Today, the post is located on Sandra Street.

The members visit the veteran’s home in Reserve and provide local housing for veterans among other things. They host programs for students, such as Americanism, that encourage patriotism.

Teachers are also recognized in the community by the organization. Bingo is the biggest fundraiser of the organization. Over the past year Bingo attendance has reached an all-time low due to the economy.

Post 4222 is looking for new members, young and old, alike. They are seeking new ideas to get the organization afloat and thriving.

This year Louisiana ranks No. 3 in the nation for having 100 percent vested membership in the VFW. Last year, the state ranked No. 9.

The national VFW organization presented to the local post the Golden Anniversary Award Citation in recognition of 50 years of outstanding service to the community.

“I send my sincere thanks and appreciation to the members of VFW Post 4222 for the outstanding record of service to the community, veterans and to the nation over the past 50 years,” said VFW National Commander John A. Bierdrzycki Jr. in a prepared state.

The U.S. VFW is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans’ organization. It was founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936 .

With nearly 1.7 million VFW and auxiliary members located in more than 6,600 posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans’ service organization is proud to proclaim “No One Does More for Veterans” than the VFW.

The organization is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs.

Post 4222 is hosting its Dress Up Down 5K run Saturday at 8 a.m., which is open to the public. For more information, contact the post at 985- 385-2474.