Snow blanketed town Monday, but the veterans who braved the weather found warmth inside the Fulton VFW on Veterans Day.
This year, the VFW hosted its first-ever Veterans Day open house. The event featured a remembrance ceremony, a moment of silence and plenty of time to chat with fellow vets. Leroy Benton, former Fulton mayor and Vietnam veteran, led a prayer.
"We are grateful for the brotherly bond we experienced as we served," he said.
Veterans were also regaled with a rendition of "God Bless America" by a group of students from Kingdom Christian Academy.
"There tends to be a lot more camaraderie with our own people," said Richard Vaughn, a Vietnam veteran in attendance. "Getting involved with the VFW helps, because it helps to talk to people who understand."
He and other veterans spoke about struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects a large percentage of veterans, especially those who saw combat. Something as simple as a car backfiring or a light bulb popping as it goes out can jolt a vet back into the field. Horrible scenes replay in their dreams.
"The guys now go through it just as bad as we did," Vaughn said. "But we didn't have the same support vets are getting now."
Fellow veteran Terry Underwood praised the advances made by the Veterans Affairs office in offering mental health support to veterans. Both praised the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Columbia as an excellent example of a well-run VA hospital.
Part of the emphasis Monday was on informing visiting veterans about the various services a VFW can offer, from socializing to lending out medical equipment to help in navigating the benefits system.
"The VFW can push the VA to get things done faster than you could on your own," William Barnes-Swain said.
Barnes-Swain, a trucker and Iraq veteran, was in town visiting local Brian Hawkins. Hawkins and Barnes-Swain were in the same unit in Iraq, Hawkins said. The two were easily the youngest veterans in attendance. (Hawkins is also the Amvets post commander in Mokane.)
"I've been a VFW member since 2014, but hadn't really done much with the VFW until recently," Hawkins said. "When I came to a meeting last week, I wore my Iraq hat, and they said it (the hat) was the first they'd seen in the VFW."
Wayne Bill, quartermaster of the Fulton VFW and Vietnam veteran, said the VFW is working on reaching out to younger veterans. He said it's difficult because there is no public database of veterans and younger generations don't seem as inclined to join traditional clubs and groups such as the VFW, Lions Club or Kiwanis.
"They're absolutely welcome here," he said.