Veterans Day at the Holly Creek Life Plan Community was a gathering of veterans who call Holly Creek home, staff members who served and the spouses who stood by their partners’ sides during their service. More than 100 guests attended Holly Creek’s Veterans Day luncheon.
Veteran Jim Sherman, who helped organize this year’s luncheon, said, “When you’re married to someone serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, you often have to make some of the same sacrifices as your partner – which could mean being alone while your partner serves overseas or traveling with your partner as they are assigned to different bases and locations.”
This was the case for Barby Hahn, wife of retired Brigadier General Gary Hahn. Both were in attendance for the Veterans Day luncheon, where Barby shared, “In Gary’s 34 years of service for the U.S. Air Force, we had 21 different addresses. We went wherever Gary was assigned, and for our two daughters, this was their normal.”
Gary’s missions and assignments took him to locations like Germany and the Philippines, with Barby and their daughters by his side. Gary had the honor of serving under eight U.S. Presidents, starting with President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and ending with President William “Bill” Clinton in 1996. Barby added, “Four of those presidents were Republicans and four were Democrats – how’s that for balance!”
The Hahns were stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War, where Gary helped plan and execute missions out of Clark Air Base. According to Barby, Clark Air Base served as a triage location for Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines injured in Vietnam.
“I was a volunteer for the American Red Cross for 20 years, including during Vietnam,” shared Barby. “At Clark Air Base, I work alongside another volunteer, Katherine Van Deusen “Kitsy” Westmoreland – wife of General William Childs Westmoreland. Together, we helped care for the wounded and rolled out bandages for them. Back then, bandages were not packaged individually, so we spent hours rolling them for the wounded.”
Also at the luncheon was Holly Creek resident Mary Eleanor Chockerham, whose husband Kirby Lee Chockerham enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 “when he was just shy of his 18th birthday,” according to Mary Eleanor. Mary Eleanor and Kirby Lee married after WWII ended.
“Kirby Lee piloted the Higgins boat, a flat-bottomed landing boat used to transport troops onto beaches,” said Mary Eleanor. “My husband, who has since passed, transported troops onto Okinawa for that battle.”
During the luncheon, every person who had served and their spouses received a military challenge coin, including Mary Eleanor. According to Jim Sherman, “our challenge coin represents all six branches of the U.S. Military, and is meant to honor the men and women, past and present, who served our country so bravely and to honor their spouses, who stood by their side in good times and bad.”
At the start of the luncheon, Jim provided opening remarks, followed by an invocation prayer from Holly Creek’s Chaplain Robert Smith. Following Chaplain Robert’s invocation, attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the playing of Taps by Adisa Nickerson, a volunteer for the AFFIX group.
Before playing, Adisa explained some of the history of Taps. “Taps is not a song; it is a ‘call’ of 24 notes that carries a lot of weight. I really enjoy playing it on this special day. Taps was shaped during the Civil War in July of 1862. Union General Daniel Butterfield wanted a signal for the end of the day – a call for lights out. Then it began to be used to honor those who have departed. The Army adopted it and began using it at military funerals and gave it the name Taps.”
After Taps, Jim Sherman explained the meaning of the missing military personnel table, adorned with just one place setting. The symbols on the table included:
- White tablecloth – pure intentions of the service member
- Single rose – red acknowledges the blood that was shed
- Lemon slice – the bitter fate of the missing
- Salt on plate – tears shed by the families, friends and service members
- Inverted glass – the missing and fallen comrades who cannot drink
- Candle – the light of hope that lives in our hearts
- Empty chair – the absence of the missing and fallen
- Bible – acknowledges the importance of faith
When Jim Hahn was asked about the importance of Veterans Day, his simple reply was, “We honor those, living and dead, who pledged to serve and protect our country and democracy.”
U.S. Navy veteran Pete Lefleur, who served two years in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health, reflected on the care he and other health practitioners provided to military family members. “I was assigned to care for the families of military personnel and often, it was just not physical care we provided but also emotional support.”
Larry Manion served in the U.S Army at the legendary Camp Hale, in Leadville, Colorado, which trained soldiers for warfare on skis.
“I look back fondly at my time at Camp Hale because I loved to ski and the GI Fund helped me go to college to study geology,” said Larry. “Some of the guys I served with started the first ski hills in Colorado, I guess I should call them resorts,” he chuckled.
Veterans Day at Holly Creek Life Plan Community is a time for former service members and their spouses to share stories, enjoy each other’s company, and remember comrades who are gone but never forgotten.
