Scouts with Rivers Edge Service Area in Florida visit VFW retirement home

Vietnam War veteran Larry Smith, 61, was impressed by the young patriots.

“I was proud, and they made us proud,” Smith said. “Some of us were teary-eyed.”

The girls, accompanied by parents, troop leaders and chaperones, presented the colors for each branch of the military, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang the National Anthem and closed by retiring the colors.

Rivers Edge Service Area public relations liaison Vickie Gledden said it was a “thank you” to all veterans.

The youngsters met with the home’s residents, including World War II veteran Raymond Halsey, 90, who said he found the visit “nice,” and fellow World War II veteran George Bright, 84, who called the Scouts “good kids.”

Bright’s wife, Lori, is president of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary at the home.

As several of the girls chatted with vets, Troop 570 leader Gail Matheny said they were trying to “close the generation gap.”

Vincent Roy, 79, commander of VFW Post 12070, said his post has sponsored Troop 570 for two years and intends to add another one.

“They gave us freedom,” Breanna Johnson, 11, said about the former service members and spouses residing at the Fort McCoy independent living facility.

“Veterans put their lives in danger so we could have a free country,” added Sierra Turner, 11.

Scout Alexis Beard said her family had a history of military service in Vietnam and current deployment in Iraq.

Opened in 1991, the home currently houses 62 veterans and spouses, according to Deputy Director Gera Judge. A new 18-room wing dedicated to Women of the Armed Forces is expected to open in March.

Troop 21 leader Lida Palmer said the troop makes regular visits to the home to “help with hair and nails, and arts and crafts.” Palmer said the troop also volunteers with community organizations such as Interfaith Emergency Services in Ocala.

“My daughter Angela loves being around people and helping,” Palmer said.

According to girlscouts.org, Girl Scouts was established by Juliette Gordon Low with 18 members in 1912 in Savannah, Ga., and has grown to 3.4 million members.

Gledden said the Rivers Edge Service Unit is part of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida council, which serves about 24,000 girls in eight counties, including Marion.

“The typical mission of Girl Scouts is to allow girls to discover, connect and take action within their community on issues that are important to them,” Gledden said. “Girl Scouting is girl-led and the age-appropriate activities are as varied as the girls themselves.”

Troop co-leader and volunteer Nick Scala said his daughters Marissa, 8, and Caila, 10, benefit from scouting. “They learn respect and get a feeling of family,” he said.

Following Saturday’s patriotic program, the scouts were treated to a hot dog lunch in the covered pavilion adjacent to the home.

Kalah Marie Hastings, 10, expressed her thoughts about the veterans she had just met this way: “If the veterans had not fought for us, we wouldn’t be here in a free society now.”

<a href="http://www.ocala.com/article/20101108/ARTICLES/101109702/-1/news?Title=Girl-Scouts-thank-VFW-home-residentstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.ocala.com/article/20101108/ARTICLES/101109702/-1/news?Title=Girl-Scouts-thank-VFW-home-residentsTue, 09 Nov 2010 02:37:59 GMT 00:00″>Scouts with Rivers Edge Service Area in Florida visit VFW retirement home

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