Pleased to Read Old Comments & Hubby Honors Vets

I've just been looking back at my old posts and at the comments I hadn't seen! Thank you all. I do realize it's quite possible most of you gave up on me during my long absence, but if you are still reading I hope you see this post.

I'm so pleased to read your comments. How it is that I missed most of them is a mystery to me, but today was a great day to discover them as they lifted me up and today was a down day for this old lady; partly because it's not the same here without our sweet dog, Rusty.

Hubby Honors Vets

Mr. Toney has had a beard for over 35 years and strongly resembled someone

you may recognize.

A few weeks ago this man decided he wanted to participate in the local Honor Guard. You may know this is a group of veterans who will come to the funerals of other veterans when they are asked. They carry the US flag, play taps on a bugle and shoot the guns for a 21 gun salute. Mr. Toney was an enlisted man in the Navy, so he wears the ceremonial dress uniform for an enlisted Navy man.

The first thing he did to get ready for this transformation was to shave!!! Next he lost 20 pounds, and with the help of my brother, Leroy, and several others who wanted to honor the veterans with donations, he was able to acquire the dress blues and dress whites plus the ceremonial accessories for both uniforms. He also had to buy the patches and ribbons he earned. The ribbons he had weren't available. Our son used some in a framed work for his wall, and some he'd lost over the years.

Here he is the first day he tried on his ceremonial dress blues.

Today he is going to town to sit with the other veterans in front of our local Walmart to educate the public about the Guard and ask for funds. The money is used for gas to get them to the funerals, more uniforms, accessories and other items needed to carry on this work. All the veterans are volunteers and get no money. 

You may have guessed, I am very proud of Mr. Toney.

signed: Mrs. Toney

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The above was written a few weeks ago. 

Mr. Toney has attended several veterans' funerals in the last couple of months. He usually carries the flag in the service. 

It's warm now so it is time for the Dress Whites. 

He lost an additional ten pounds in that time. He's enjoying getting to know the other guys in the Honor Guard and he's having fun being noticed too, because he's the only Navy man. The others are Army and Air Force.

He is motivated to do this for his fellow vets. Since just after he decided to be in the Honor Guard he has been having terrible pain from several things. They all started to give him trouble on the same day! But, he hasn't missed more than three or four funerals due to Dr. appointments or a particularly bad day. 

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There have been approximately one veteran's funeral every four days for over a year here in East Tennessee. 

Soon I'll tell you more about the only town in the USA to have a Naval vessel named for it, Greeneville, Tennessee. 

You may know Greeneville was also the home of Andrew Johnson, who became the president when Lincoln was assassinated.