Elmer G. Hughes spent his Monday on Franklin Street, passing out red plastic flowers — called Buddy Poppies — to honor military veterans.
Members of the Chapel Hill Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9100 have made it a mission to provide support for retired service members.
As a retired member of the United States Air Force and a 1958 graduate of UNC, Hughes’ goal was to inform Franklin Street passersby of the importance of Veterans Day.
“We would like to let all of the folks around here know about the poppy and what it means,” he said. “It represents all the people who served in the U.S. armed forces, in any war, at any time.”
Veterans Marv McWherter, Lee Heavlin and Ed Gill also endured the chill of the evening in order to fundraise and commemorate the service of veterans — both fallen and living. The military service of the three varies from years served in the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Army, as well as participation in the wars in Vietnam and Korea and World War II.
As an organization of volunteers, the VFW uses donations and fundraisers in order to send money to veterans in need of medical, physical and mental support. The current fundraiser includes raffling off two sets of home game season tickets to UNC men’s basketball fans.
The VFW Post 9100 doesn’t just focus its support on retired service members. It also donates to organizations that serve active duty members, such as the United Service Organizations and the Army Fisher House at Fort Bragg.
McWherter and Gill passed out the Buddy Poppies while Heavlin, a sailor of the U.S. Navy for 30 years and former administrative officer of the UNC Navy ROTC, told the story of the poppy’s significance to those willing to listen.
“The poppies are assembled by disabled veterans in veterans hospitals,” McWherter said.
