
Army Veteran and community leader Dan Foster almost made it through the entire Nov. 9 Wall of Honor memorialization event without taking off his cowboy boots.
After warning the crowd in the Alpine community center on Saturday morning that his feet were feeling a bit pinched in the new boots and smiling at the laughter that filled the room at his mention of the 14 band-aids on his feet, Foster somberly introduced the day’s events.
“We’re here to honor every veteran who put on a uniform in the U.S. military so we could have the freedom to sit here today,” Foster said.
In his invocation, VFW Chaplain Theo Bazdorf referenced all who have served in addition to the 20 whose names were newly added to the Wall of Honor.
“They endured difficult service because they are exceptional people,” Bazdorf said.
Foster, known locally for his ongoing commitment to the Wall of Honor and for his outreach to veterans, said that it all came down to two simple words: thank you.
“My goal and my wish in life is to shake every veteran’s hand and say ‘thank you’ to them… The most important thing is we cannot and will not forget what every veteran did… My passion is to make sure we never forget,” Foster said.
Kiwanis club member and Wall of Honor organizer Debbie Jackson stood by Foster’s side and helped facilitate the event. Foster thanked her, as well as Community Center President Louise Phipps, VFW Post 9578 Color Guard, Honor Flight organizers, WWII Veteran Bill Ridenour who led the pledge of allegiance, and other members of the community.
Ridenour later drew cheers and applause when he gave thanks for those who kept the country going during World War II.
“I want to thank all the women who went to work during WWII… It was the women who kept this country going,” Ridenour said.
Army veteran Kirsten Yuhl-Torres, who spearheaded an extensive care package project she put in place following her son Sgt. Joseph Perry’s 2006 death in Baghdad requested that female veterans stick around after the event so she could specifically thank them for their service.
As each veteran’s name was announced, the Patriot Guard Riders, a non-profit group dedicated to honoring fallen military heroes, first responders and honorably discharged veterans stood at attention from where they lined the walls of the community center.
Foster saluted each service member while the official song from their branch of service played.
Although most simply accepted the recognition, a few took the podium and shared their background with the audience.
Honor Flight Secretary Mel Taitano shared the history of her father’s service with the Seawolves, describing Anthony P. Rizarrio’s experience with the baby steps of integrating search and rescue helicopters into combat during the Vietnam war.
“He took to the sky, hanging out of the helicopter, firing a machine gun… they were the most decorated unit in the Vietnam war and are almost forgotten,” Rizarrio said.
Jackson stepped aside from helping Foster lead the event to take the podium herself and speak. She told the crowd that her husband would make the same choice to serve again, unquestionably.
“When asked if he would choose to serve his country again, knowing the toll it would take on his life, his answer was ‘absolutely’,” Jackson said.
More than one person in the room nodded in agreement, recognizing the familiar comment.
After the 20 veterans newly added to the wall had been publicly thanked for their service, Honor Flight Board member Dee Folse explained that the non-profit he works with takes senior veterans to visit the war memorials at the national mall in Washington D.C. for free. He reminded attendees the veteran population of World War II and Korea is aging.
“The clock is ticking loud for many of our WWII Veterans and this might be the last chapter in their lives,” Folse said.
Foster closed the proceedings with a final welcome.
“Welcome to our new heroes on our wall… God bless each and every one of you and god bless the United States of America,” Foster said, boots off.