ALTON - Wayne Able, Desert Storm veteran and Post Commander of the Alton VFW Post 1308, appeared on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to reflect on his years of service as his term comes to a close and Memorial Day 2023 approaches.

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Able said his career as Post Commander has been “rewarding.”

“It’s been rewarding. [I] got to meet a lot of new people,” Able said. “I got to go out and meet with other VFW posts, and it’s surprising how many posts are willing to meet and greet and work with you.”

Able added that he’s seen more collaboration over the years between local VFW posts working together to host Veteran’s Day and other events. While he’s proud of the work he’s down at Post 1308, he said it’s important for the post’s survival to pass the reins on to someone who can continue its success.

“It was time for me to step down and let new, fresh minds be put in and new ideas be put in, and incorporate it with what I’ve put into the project, so that’s what I hope happens,” he said.

While he’s stepping down as Commander, Able will still be involved with Post 1308 and will assist the new commander, 76-year-old Joe Messias, who previously served as Able’s second-in-command.

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Able said on Memorial Day, he reflects on the veterans that came before him, and added their legacy lives on in memory.

“They always said - and I take this quote personally - ‘Veterans never die unless they’re forgotten,’” he said. “So as long as Memorial Day’s there, there’s just no forgetting them.”

He and other Post 1308 members usually have a busy morning on Memorial Day, starting at 5:30 to 6 a.m. when they decorate the VFW Post with flags. Then, around 7 a.m., they visit several cemeteries around Alton where veterans are buried and do a seven-gun salute and prayer at each site. They also throw a wreath into the Mississippi River as a way to honor fallen members of the Navy.

Able added that the VFW Post is an essential resource for awareness and education for local veterans.

“If we have no place for these veterans to go, then they have no knowledge of what they’re eligible to get from the VA,” he said. “The reason the VFW exists and the reason I do it is to make sure these young veterans have what they need to have to survive the next 30, 40 years.”

The full interview with Able can be watched at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

Wayne Able

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