Veterans Day events honor armed service members in St. Joseph on Saturday

Riley Funk, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Nov. 12—Veterans Day was commemorated in St. Joseph on Saturday with multiple events that honored those in the armed forces in many ways.

The first event was the Veterans Day Parade that started and ended at City Hall. It started at 11 a.m. and was met with cold weather and wind.

U.S. Marine Veteran, Paul Gatewood of the Charlie 110 Division, said that the attendance was small for the parade.

"Mother Nature didn't agree with us today," Gatewood said.

He went on to say that the parade still went on and was great to be part off.

The VET2VET event began shortly after at 1 p.m. on the campus of Missouri Western.

The Fulkerson Center housed many of the local avenues that can assist veterans that are currently struggling.

Gatewood said the event provides help in many different aspects for those in need. These include housing, VA benefits and hospitalization help.

"When you get out of military, a lot of times you're lost and don't know who to turn to," Gatewood said. "This provides those resources. We try to bring everybody in that we can think of that could help a veteran in need."

Chelsey Clark, Director of the Center for Military & Veteran Services at Missouri Western said that the military community in the area is very strong.

"Probably one of the more supportive communities that I've seen," Clark said. "Unlike a lot of other bigger towns St. Joseph has strong interest in veterans from all the branches and a really strong National Guard presence."

Clark said that if veterans could not make it to the event, she encourages them to continue to reach out for assistance.

"If you're a veteran and feel like you need assistance, we have everyone here from Catholic Charities to the Saint Joseph V.A...a long list of people here that serve and help veterans," Clark said.

Ron McDaniel is a Vietnam veteran that is president of the Heroes for Heroes organization, which started its seventh year in September. He said that the group is involved in many ways, including the VET2VET event.

"We help veterans down on their luck and find them jobs paying their utility bills, food, clothing, furniture, fix cars, whole teeth, whatever they need," McDaniel said.

McDaniel said that veterans Day holds a special place in his heart and inspires his mission.

"A band of brothers, that's what we are we try to help each other.," McDaniel said. "If they have any questions ask where they can get help...don't be ashamed to ask for help."

The group has a website where residents can get involved and donate money at https://heroesforheroes.net/. They also have events going on throughout the year.

Riley Funk can be reached at riley.funk@newspressnow.com.