VFW MO Post 5168 - Forsyth

October Veteran of the Month -

Posted at 10:01 AM on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 by post5168

Commander Walker Sumner presents Rich Peters with Veteran Of The Month for October with Presentation and gift certificates.

Richard Peters has been performing Military Honors at Military Funerals since 1997.  First with the Tri-Lakes Honor Guard -- which was a combination of VFW, American Legion and Korean War Veterans Assn.  When The State of Missouri enacted law to form the Missouri Military Funeral Honors system, in 1999, the KWVA formed their own Honor Guard and most of their members dropped out of the Tri-Lakes Honor Guard.  Both of these Honor Guard Teams were certified by the Missouri Army National Guard to perform Military Funerals.  Rich was, and still is, a member of both Teams.  However, in mid-2002 Funeral Directors started asking for the KWVA Honor Guard and the Tri-Lakes Team has pretty much went dormant.  They now only do one or two a year.  As a matter of fact the Missouri National Guard just notified them that they will have to be re-certified.

Until a couple of years ago the KWVA Honor Guard covered several Counties and of course went to Springfield area Veteran's cemeteries quite often.  For years they were the only Honor Guard that would work on Saturday & Sunday.  For the first 6 years of their existence they had about 20 members to call on.  However, in the last 3 years their numbers have dwindled (due to injury, illness & death ) to 12 in uniform of which 8 or 9 are available, most of the time.  Although the Missouri Military Honors Program allows a minimum of three rifles (for the volleys) they always take a minimum of 5 and preferably 7.  It's getting tougher to keep a Team of this size in the field.  Rich believes their guys don't want to quit but realistically, they should.  Some of them just can't perform  "up-to-snuff" anymore Rich says.  It's really difficult for them to admit that, but it's a fact.  Rich believes, "it's time."  He informed his guys in January that he was retiring on June 30th.  He still doesn't think they believe him but for Rich it really is "time."  He doesn't really want to, but "it's time."

To keep an Honors Guard Team in this area (when the KWVA do stand down) Rich started talks with the VVA about a year ago to get a team started among the VVA.  And, with the assistance of the Missouri Funeral Honors people in KC, they are well on the way to being certified.  Their uniforms have been approved and they're just waiting on the rifles from the US Army, Rich thinks.

Tonight we honor Richard Peters for devoting 12 years to honoring fallen Veterans and serving families of fallen Veterans in the southwest Missouri area.  We wish Rich a well deserved retirement and many wonderful years with Post 5168 to which he just transferred.