Local VFW member says ‘we’re more than a bunch of old guys who attend funerals’

IDAHO FALLS – As a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Casey Burns wants people to know they’re more than just a group of old guys who attend funerals.

He and three other representatives with Snake River VFW Post 1004 in Rigby stopped by the EastIdahoNews.com studio Tuesday morning to talk about its purpose and how it benefits the community.

While the organization focuses on veterans with financial, educational or other needs, it provides help to anyone in need. One of the most common ways it helps is through 22 A Day, a national nonprofit providing suicide prevention and awareness for local VFW chapters.

“Twenty-two veterans a day kill themselves. It’s horrible,” Burns says. “If we help just one person, it’s worth it.”

Burns cites an instance when a local vet tried to kill himself. For some reason, he was unsuccessful and he called Burns to tell him about it. Burns helped connect him with resources.

Since then, Burns says the man has learned to deal with his demons and is living a much better quality of life.

Burns says suicide prevention is a huge need throughout the community, not just among veterans. They recently partnered with the Rigby High School Hope Squad, which aims to help students in crisis.

Through this partnership, Burns says they hope to reach more people and prevent tragedies from happening.

“Our hope was that bridging the gap with these students would help us reach the parents,” says Burns.

Burns says he was inspired to get involved with the VFW several years ago. A local vet’s wife had recently passed after a long battle with cancer. They’d spent all their money on medical expenses.

He died a short time later and the family couldn’t pay for his funeral.

“The post kicked in and gave the family about $3,500. We were operating on a shoestring budget and I was like, ‘We need money for this. We need to have money so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again,'” says Burns.

The Rigby VFW post hosts one major fundraiser every year. This year, they’re hosting a raffle drawing for a freezer and a quarter of beef. It’s selling raffle tickets for $5 a piece. Winners will be selected during a drawing on June 6 at the Rigby Big Rig and Bike Show.

A second fundraiser, which is still in the planning stages, will be held later in the year.

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Post Commander Jim Stringham will also be selling poppies at Broulims Fresh Foods in Rigby on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

How poppies became associated with veterans

The use of poppy flowers to commemorate the sacrifice of veterans is a tradition that dates back to World War I. It’s based on a line from the famous 1915 poem “In Flanders Fields,” according to Arlingtonva.us.

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row,” the poem says.

Moina Michael drew inspiration from that poem and wrote her own. It dwelled on the poppy as a symbol of the soldiers’ sacrfice.

“We cherish, too, the poppy red that grows on fields where valor led,” Michael wrote. “Now the torch and poppy red we wear in honor of our dead.”

Michael began selling poppy corsages to raise money for veterans and their families. It’s been a symbol of war and its human cost ever since.

Burns says all the proceeds from the fundraisers will be the seed money for a larger raffle giveaway during its Veterans Day celebration in November. They’re hoping to raise at least $15,000 to support veterans and those in need.

Those who’d like to learn more about the VFW and the services it offers are invited to attend Snake River VFW Post 1004’s monthly gathering at Cafe et Amour at 186 East Main Street in Rigby. It’s happening Saturday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.

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“It’s a place to come kick back, clear your head and spend some time with your brothers and sisters,” says Burns.