VAN BUREN, Ark. — Veterans Day is a time recognizing and honoring U.S. military personnel and their service. Stacy Thrift, a veteran and member of the Robert Jack VFW Post 1322 in Van Buren, has a long resume of fighting for freedom.
During her 22 years of service in the Marine Corps, Thrift said she had traveled to Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. She said she also attended boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina, and pre-commissioned the USS Pearl Harbor in 1988.
"I served really kind of all over," Thrift said.
With her accomplishments abroad and her responsibilities at home, Thrift said her time in the Marine Corps was far from easy.
"It was harder being away from your children," she said. "Even now, I feel guilty that I had left my children when they were so young."
To commemorate Veterans Day, members of the post spent the day remembering their sacrifice.
"Being a soldier, being a woman, being a wife, being a mother, you have to be so strong. And you kind of have to be cold because as a soldier, you don't want to be so emotional. You have to be hard, and you have to hold it in," Thrift said. "Maybe I've held it in so long, so I feel like finally my emotions can come out. I really felt proud today."
VFW Commander Matthew Hicks said the Van Buren post is community service oriented.
"We like to get into the schools. We like to talk to the kids. We like to talk to our fellow veterans," Hicks said. "Our post is more involved with each other and in the community to help serve. We all enjoy still serving and just try to help out when we can, where we can."
He said the Veterans Day celebration is about everyone in the community.
"Even though today may be about us, it's more so about them being able to celebrate and watch them be able to go to school and celebrate the freedoms that they have because of the many, many, many soldiers, sailors, and airmen that had the opportunity to serve before us," Hicks said.
As we honor Veterans Day, the most important thing veterans want Americans to remember is that people are fighting for them every day.
"Freedom doesn't come easy. We soldiers, fought every day, so you have the freedom to do what you do today," Thrift said.
On Feb. 8, the post will celebrate its 100th anniversary, which is actually on Feb. 13. The post will host an open house that will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We're going to kind of show off a little bit of the things that we've been able to collect over the years here at the post," Hicks said.
The post has invited Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and several state, federal, and local legislators to the event.
"Hopefully we'll get an opportunity to showcase our history with them as well," Hicks said.
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