Veterans of all ages, as well as a number of prominent local figures, attended the open house at the American Legion Post 834 in Fallsington on Saturday.
The open house helped to mark the 69th anniversary of the American Legion post. In addition to celebrating an anniversary, the open house also focused on resources available to veterans that veterans may not know about.
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“Today is an important day. There are a lot of veterans who don’t know about the different things [veterans have access to]. It’s beneficial for everybody,” Ron Duckenfield, the commander of the American Legion post, said on Saturday. Duckenfield has been a member of the American Legion for 37 years.
Carmine Maggio, the junior vice commander, has been a member of the American Legion for 22 years, ever since he and his wife moved to Tullytown from New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1997. “We want to get word out to all veterans that we are here to help them,” Maggio explained.
The day’s events were primarily put together by Walt Jerdan, who has been a member of the American Legion for 23 years. According to Jerdan, the flow of veterans and people coming to the open house and exploring resources was steady up until that point in the day.
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In terms of resources available for veterans to explore at the open house, a wide spectrum of organizations were present to provide services to veterans. Among these services were the Bucks County Veteran ID program and Honor Flight, Urgent Care, Galzerano Funeral Home, American Heritage Federal Credit Union and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor Veteran’s Program. Representatives from Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick and State Rep. John Galloway’s offices were also present at the open house.
Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8) and Representative John Galloway (D-140) themselves were present at the open house. Fitzpatrick commented that the open house is good because it allows the veterans to connect with the legion for support, or it even allows them to just keep in touch.
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“I think this is a great event and a great day,” Galloway explained during the event. “This is an attempt that people are making to attempt to thank [the veterans] 365 days every year.”
The steady flow of veterans making their way through the open house is evidence enough that people are interested in joining the American Legion or a similar type of veteran-based organization. One visitor to the legion, Richard Edwards, attended the open house to see what the Legion had to offer.
“I just know that coming here, I have a better idea of what’s going on in the area in terms of veterans,” Richards explained. After looking more into membership, Richards explained that he may be looking into applying to the American Legion for membership.
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The strong turnout to the open house is proof that there is local support for the area’s veterans, politicians and local businesses.
