Display at Glenwood Post Office honors local veterans

Vernon - With the Vernon VFW Post 844 celebrating its 40th anniversary, Cindi Auberger, vice president of the ladies auxiliary, thought it would be a nice idea if the community got a chance to see exactly who some of the local veterans are, so she asked if she could put up a display in the Glenwood Post Office on Rout 517 in Vernon. “Andy, the post master here, has always been very responsive to the local community and he gave me permission to use the display case inside the post office,” said Auberger. The display, which will remain in place until the week after Veterans Day, has photos and mementos donated by veterans and their families from as far back as WWII and including Operation Freedom in Iraq. “We always decorate the display case and change it with the seasons, so when Cindi asked if she could put up her display I was happy to say yes, as a lot of veterans work for the post office,” said postmaster Andy DeVincenzi. “We have 14 different veterans represented and the display went over very will with our customers.” Also in the display are two pieces which were winners of an art competition which was offered to all Vernon students K-12. One was a photo collage by kindergartner Austin Khzyzak, whose father is currently serving in Iraq; the other is a patriotic photograph by high school student Tyler Vosburg. Commander of Post 844 Austin Carew, who served in Germany during the Vietnam War and who lost a brother in that same war, was very happy to see the display. “The town should recognize what people have given up and hopefully their sacrifice really meant something, these kinds of things are important,” he said. This is a sentiment shared by WWII veteran John Kavanagh, who lost his best friend in that war. “This brings back a lot of memories but it’s a nice tribute to those who have served before and are serving now,” he said.