Auxiliary host dinner to honor Glenn County veterans

Lynzie Lowe, Glenn County Transcript, Calif.
·4 min read

Dec. 21—After starting a Veterans of the Month program to reconnect with local veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Auxiliary to VFW Post 1770 in Willows hosted a Veterans of the Year Dinner and Social on Dec. 10.

Event organizer Susan Cooper said since starting the Veterans of the Month program in June 2021, 31 veterans have been recognized and this dinner was created to honor not just these veterans but all veterans within the community.

"Our Veterans of Month program was created out of a need to reconnect with our veterans," said Cooper. "We were still in the midst of COVID, but some of the restrictions were easing back. We couldn't meet in groups over 10, So we created a form asking people to nominate a veteran for Veteran of the Month and put it on Facebook."

Cooper said the Auxiliary received a huge response from community members and, through this program, they have reconnected with many absent VFW members who now attend monthly meetings.

The program has also expanded Auxiliary membership and introduced the community to their local veterans, according to Cooper.

"I personally didn't know my dentist, the receptionist at my son's pediatrician, a local newspaper reporter, my mail clerk or the single mom around the corner from me were veterans," said Cooper. "Veterans should be honored everyday and how can we honor them if we don't know who they are?"

Reconnecting with local veterans also brought attention to the unfulfilled needs of the local veterans community.

"We have discovered some needs that need to be met for local veterans such as appliance repair or replacement, wheelchair, walker, gas for medical trips, and meals for homebound vets," said Cooper. "... Our Glenn County veterans do not have a lot of services available to them. We as an Auxiliary would like to be able to reach more veterans to help with wheelchairs, walkers, gas cards for appointments, meals, travel expenses when having to leave the area for health care, heating, etc."

Cooper said the community turned out for the dinner in overwhelming numbers, with approximately 200 of the 240 tickets sold for the event.

The evening featured a tri-tip and chicken dinner complete with baked potato, salad, bread and dessert, prepared by newly elected Board of Supervisor Jim Yoder, Supervisor Tom Arnold and Lance Taylor. There was also live music provided by Dave LaCombe, guest speakers, a raffle and a silent auction.

During the dinner, Cooper said that each of the 2021-22 Veterans of the Month honorees were awarded plaques that will be placed on the walls in the foyer of Memorial Hall.

Honorees included "Doc" Burnham (June 2021), Dan Roach (July 2021), Paul Niehues (August 2021), Darlene Carroll (September 2021), Dave Emery (October 2021), Dennis James (November 2021) Ernie Spooner (December 2021), Doug Gammon and Eugene Fournier (January 2022), Ernie Dowden and Jack "Doc" Cook (February 2022), Irene Thomas and Greg Pylman (March 2022), Clint Millsaps (April 2022), Bob Martin and Thomas McMartin (May 2022), George Corbin and Ric Simson (June 2022), Kim Grimes and Robert Saint-Evens (July 2022), Lee Imhoff and John Benningfield (August 2022), Jim Yoder (September 2022), Zach Rutherglen and Victoria Ghipley (October 2022), Tom Kelly, Jordan Gammon and Ray Crabree (November 2022).

"We kept the secret on who our honorees were for December and awarded the honor posthumously to three wives," said Cooper. "The honored veterans were Vern Roberts, Bob Wrinkle, and Ted Pata. They were all three Vietnam veterans with the First Cavalry. We lovingly refer to them as 'Our Black Hat Society.'"

Several prizes were awarded during the raffles, including two guns that wentto Julie Soeth and Jordan Gammon, and several hunting and fishing trips.

"Tom Dermody donated three trips for veterans only," said Cooper. "Kim Grimes, one of our Veterans of the Month, won her choice of a Texas white-tailed deer hunting trip or fishing trip. Bill Simliness and Christopher Hildebrand both won a pig hunting trip. We also had a Sacramento River Bass and Striper fishing trip for 4 donated by Ryan Tripp with Ryan Tripp's Guide Service. Veteran Doug Gammon won this trip."

Cooper said the evening would not have been possible without the generoussupport of the community, including a $500 donation from Circle K and a $1,500 donation from The Community Thrift Store and many other local businesses, residents and organizations.

While this was the first time an event such as this was held, Cooper said the Auxiliary plans to make this an annual event entitled "A Wrinkle in Time: Veterans of the Year Dinner."