Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2278 has been in limbo in recent months without a permanent home which, among other issues, forced a temporary suspension of its honor guard activities. Now, the group is working to get things back on track, the post's commander-elect said Tuesday.
Harry Davis, who will take over as commander in July, stressed that reports of the honor guard disbanding were "a false rumor," but noted it was forced to stop offering funeral honors in January. He said he was hopeful it would be able to resume activities starting next week if everything works out.
"We had two or three guys who were disabled with medical issues, but they're back. We had one who had been working at Oaklawn during the race season who is back. Not having a post home was causing problems, too," he said.
Without a post, the honor guard's firing team, which performs the three-volley salutes at funerals and other events, had to store its rifles in the Garland County Sheriff's Department's armory, where they were sometimes difficult to retrieve in a hurry.
"There was one guy who had the key to the armory we needed. Everything was more complicated," he said.
On Jan. 29, the VFW members moved out of their headquarters at 2231 E. Grand Ave., and are in the process of finding a new home, he said, noting their former location was not a good fit for the group.
"It was out in the boonies. It was far too large; about four times bigger than we needed. It was too big to supervise with a million doors always left open. The utilities cost a fortune. The mortgage was almost $3,000 a month. We had to raise a lot of money just to meet expenses," Davis said.
"Not only that, but the VFW is supposed to be doing other things for the community that cost money. Helping veterans that need help financially, charitable projects, working with the schools and all the rest of it. We had to concentrate the last five or six years on just running the building. It was a bad state to be in."
Members have met monthly at the Garland County Library in the interim, but "our communications have been terrible," Davis said. "We have no address. It's been very difficult."
A meeting is planned for Thursday to form a search committee to look for another post home, he said. "We have two or three in mind in our price range we can afford. We have a favorite, but there are a couple of alternatives that may work, too."
Davis, who is chairman of the house committee, said, "What we found in the process for us to buy another post home is that we have to send out 30 days' notice to all the members and then they show up after 30 days to vote on whether to approve it or not. That kills a lot of time.
"If you find a place you want to buy, the seller isn't going to wait for us to go through our internal process. We have to establish a committee that has the authority to negotiate a price, make a commitment like earnest money and then follow through with a few conditions of course. That will speed things up an awful lot."
He said they got approval from the state and national VFW commanders to use the committee process, which is "a little out of the ordinary," but the state commander "knew what we were going through."
Part of the problem they were having with the honor guard was the loss of veterans and the need to bring in new and younger veterans. "We have a few willing to join, which is encouraging," he said, "but we need a home first. Where we can say, 'Come on in. We'll take care of you.' We really need that."
Davis said he believes "if the honor guard folds the VFW won't be far behind it."
VFW Post 2278's Honor Guard was first formed in May 1990, Ralph King, 93, one of the original founders and its oldest member, said Tuesday, noting they didn't get weapons for the firing team until Veterans Day 1990.
"We went ahead and attended funerals before then, just without weapons," King said. "We would send two representatives to fold and present the flag (to the deceased's family)."
He said Tony Tapp, a Marine Corps veteran, had pushed for the formation of the honor guard and served as its first chairman until 1993 when King took over, serving until 2003. He noted when they first started they didn't get any support from the military but now get a $50 stipend for expenses from the state for each funeral they work.
The honor guard provides support services for all branches of service including military, Coast Guard, law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and others, King said, noting they have gone all over Arkansas and even into other states like Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
"If they couldn't get anyone there, we would cross the border to other states," he said.
Regulations call for there to be three to eight members on a fire team, but King said they try to have seven who fire a three-volley salute. "Calling it a 21-gun salute is a misnomer. It's a three-volley salute," followed by the flag presentation and the playing of taps by their bugler.
"The families really appreciate it," Frank Runyan, 79, another longtime member, said. "I think it gives them the feeling that the one who passed away did his job. He was worth it. You would be surprised after the three volleys are fired and taps is played, you look over and how many people are crying. It's very emotional."
Davis said they were averaging two funerals a week, but sometimes "had four or more and sometimes two in one day." They performed 100 services in 2016, but about half that in 2017.
He said he plans to send letters to all the funeral homes letting them know "we're back in business," having previously notified them they were having to suspend operations for a while. "I had no idea when we might be coming back, but I'm confident we'll be able to do it now."
When the family of a veteran decides they want the honor guard to participate, they need to contact the funeral home. "We go through the funeral homes to keep everything straight," he said. "You don't lose any time going back and forth."
Veterans must have received an honorable discharge to qualify for the military honors and family members must have a copy of their DD214, or discharge papers. "I recommend those who have older veterans in their family to find this form and have it ready," Davis said. "We can't do anything without it."
He said they have performed their services "a few times" without the paperwork if "we knew personally they were veterans and they just couldn't find the papers" even though they don't receive a stipend from the state in that case. "We feel that to honor the veterans is very important."
Davis said he was "an outsider" in the beginning, having moved to Hot Springs from Pennsylvania two and a half years ago, but "I really like all the people here. It's a very nice group. I personally think Hot Springs is the gem of the state for the VFW and the honor guard.
"We're going through a tough spell right now, but we're going to change that. We're going to do what we can to make it work."
Local on 05/02/2018