Rockledge Municipal Hall Photo by James Short.
A panel of veterans will share their stories of experiences in the country's military.
This will be the third year that the Rockledge Borough Mayor Jim Caffrey has gathered veterans to celebrate a very special day. And, while this year’s Veterans’ Appreciation Night will be missing a favorite star, it is still a very important recognition.
We’ve all been to veteran events celebrating our country’s heroes, but it is not too often you get to ask them questions and hear about the true stories, what it was really like to serve the nation in a face-to-face event. But that’s why Mayor Caffrey wanted to start the tradition.
“The last two years, we had a gentleman named Helmut Boehm,” said the mayor. “He was a World War II veteran, who served in Normandy as a medic.”
Caffrey said his stories amazed crowds.
“He talked about how he’d pull people off of the beaches in Normandy, to take them to be flown on a plane back to England to ‘be repaired.’ You could have heard a pin drop in there, listening to his stories, serving at just 17 years old. It was amazing and everybody loved it.”
Sadly, Boehm, at age 99, passed away last year. But some new faces will be able to take to the panel, offering their stories of serving the country through our military.
“We had four [veterans] last year,” said Caffrey. “This year about seven. And we have a couple of gals, which I was really pushing for.”
Adding women to this year’s panel provides an inclusivity so that children of all ages and genders can understand what it might be like to serve the United States.
“I think it is important, recognizing veterans and what they’ve done in this country,” said Caffrey, who will also serve as host for the night’s event.
Caffrey said that he was not called to serve, despite being of an age (now 71) that was close to being drafted into Vietnam.
“My number was 268, and I was two weeks away from being called when Nixon called off the draft,” said the mayor. Though, having lost his father at age 13, he wasn’t sure that he’d have made “Uncle Sam’s” cut anyhow. Still, he never found society’s response to returning veterans, many his same age, appropriate.
“They came back from Vietnam, and I never felt it was right how they treated them,” he said. “They did their duty and did what they were told.”
Caffrey said all veterans deserve our thanks and respect.
“I’ve just always felt those guys went above and beyond,” he said of troops that have served. “It is just very important to come listen to these people.”
There is no cost to attend the presentation, and all ages are welcome. While the stories are real and true, Caffrey said there is “nothing crazy gory” or inappropriate for younger viewers.
“They talk about when they were in, and what did they do when they were in,” he said. “It is a summary of their time in service.”
Caffrey said that one female nurse, who served in Iraq, along with another woman who served as a medic in Desert Storm, will join the panel this year representing women’s contributions to the armed forces. Most of the veterans are right from the local area, in and around Montgomery County.
While the event brought in over 100 people last year, Caffrey hopes even more can attend this time around.
“It’s at Borough Hall, and there’s plenty of room,” said the mayor.
Caffrey is also the catalyst for bringing the Hometown Heroes program to the borough. The banners, honoring Rockledge heroes, hang from the community’s telephone and streetlight poles.
Working with a councilman, who was also a veteran, he said it was something he wanted to have in Rockledge.
“I saw this around, and said ‘why can’t we have this in our town,’” said Caffrey. “The borough council said go for it, and we thought we’d get 30 or 40. We have 115, and seven or eight more are on the way.
After Veterans Day on Monday, the flags are taken down, cleaned, and stored. The banners will be placed back, lining Rockledge streets, on Memorial Day.
Those interested in in the Hometown Heroes banners can click here to find out how to file a form and pay the $135 to place a new one up, representing their loved one’s time in the service.
The annual Veterans’ Appreciation Night will be held at Borough Hall at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11. No registration is required, and all ages are welcome to attend.
