Those who served at Kingsway Community didn’t feel forgotten on Veterans Day.
Nearly 40 veterans, all Kingsway residents and staff, were honored during the Kingsway Arms Nursing Center’s ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11.
The ceremony started off with a Presentation of Colors by members of the VFW Post 357 and was followed by members of the Church of Nazarene singing the “Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America.” Each honored veteran was individually named and placed a large star with their name on to a “service flag.” Then Susan Wells, from the Stars for our Troops group, handed out stars cut from a retired American flag.
This is the tenth year Kingsway has held the ceremony, which started after Director of Marketing Jean Barnoski looked into starting a service flag at the home. The flag is displayed in the main dinning room, which serves 90 percent of the residents.
“The idea popped into my head about maybe making our own service flag, but it had to be much bigger because we have a lot of veterans,” Barnoski said. “The residents like to go up and pick out their names on the flag.”
The ceremony has been a successful event at the center and she said she receives positive feedback each year.
“This is one of the most positive programs that we do as far as honoring our veterans,” Barnoski said. “We always have very good family response … they try their best to make it and they just love it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten thank you letters or cards.”
During the first ceremony 10 years ago there was one World War I veteran at the home and the day after Veterans Day he passed away.
“As we go on, we see less and less of our WWII veterans and more of our Korean conflict veterans and Vietnam conflict veterans,” she said. “As far as the staff, we are seeing more and more staff members … as serving in Desert Storm and Grenada conflict.”
She said she enjoyed being able to honor the veterans at the home and acknowledge that they are still a part of the community.
“Their service to our country is still very important,” she said. “It is like honoring my grandfather who passed over and over again and he was a veteran of three wars.”
Handing out a star
Susan Wells, a Troy resident, started handing out stars to veterans through Stars for our Troops after being introduced to the effort and wanting to hand them out herself.
“I give them to people that have care packages going overseas to the soldiers,” Wells said. “I always carry some in my pocket.”
She said the Vietnam veterans are always very thankful to receive the recognition from her. Even though she is not a veteran, she said it means a “tremendous” amount to her.
“I’m an Uncle Sam red, white and blue patriot,” she said. “When I found out about this I thought what a great way, something small but significant.”
The embroidered stars from a retired flag were chosen because troops can carry it in their pockets while on patrol.
“They can put their hand in their pocket and feel the star and they’ll know someone is thinking of them,” she said. “I have been getting in flags from all over the country.”
She has also been shipping her stars all over the country too, even to Medal of Honor recipients.
The flags tend to be made from synthetic material, so if they weren’t reused for the program they would often be underground.
“The majority of the flags have to be buried and this takes a part of that and it is recycling,” she said. “Any age can do it. I’ve had little 5 and 6 year olds that want to help and they want to put the star in the pouch.”
For information on Stars for our Troops and to reach Susan Wells, email [email protected] or visit www.troygermaniahall.com/Stars-for-our-Troops.html.
