Four Years of Strong Support

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Created on Monday, 14 March 2016 15:06

Written by Skyler Dixon

LYNDONVILLE- Veterans from around the region gathered at Lyndon State College’s Standard Gymnasium last Saturday for the fourth annual NEK Veterans Summit. More than two hundred people -- including veterans, families and service organizations -- met with each other to give their support for each other.

Vermont Representative Peter Welch was one of the many attendees, and although he himself did not serve in the military, he says he recognizes the importance of what this event is about.

"To support the veterans. This is a very important conference, and it allows veterans to get together and talk about the challenges they face," Welch said, "and my experience is that the best people to help veterans, are other veterans, but the rest of us have to provide some help to them so they can get the job done."

More than 50 service organizations attended to show their support for those who served the military, including Mike “Flash” Fleury, from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. Fleury is the treasurer of the Vermont Chapter 26-1, and being a veteran himself, he said he was more than willingly to join and help.

"I joined the organization because it's about veterans helping veterans. I'm a combat vet, we're all combat vets, and we speak the same language," Fleury said, "and we're all very committed to helping the veterans that seem to fall through the cracks in current systems today, and that's what we do. We get a lot of joy helping others and we get a lot of joy riding motorcycles together.”

The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association has three chapters in the state of Vermont. The CVMA is a nonprofit organization of veterans brought together by their love of motorcycles, and according to Fleury, should always be that way.

"We're not making any money, we're all volunteers unlike some organizations. We don't make a nickel, it all goes to veterans, and we're darn proud of it,” Fleury said.

A strong value among veterans is the idea of family. Although those who served were away from their families, they were able to find peace with each other while they served, says Tonya Eastman, an Air Force veteran who served during the Gulf War. Eastman explained what the process was like.

"In the military, the people you work with become your family, because you've left your family. I went into basic training right after high school and when all my friends went to college, I went to basic training, so you're on your own." Eastman said, "So the military becomes your family. So from attending this Summit three years ago, it's been calling for me to leave working in the civilian sector, to go back to working in a position serving my fellow veterans.”

Another veteran, Dana Lesperance, served in the Marines for 4 years, and served in the Vermont Air Guard for 16 years. He says he shares the sentiments of not being around family, and is happy to be attending the event.

"It's all about the brotherhood of working together and supporting each other, and that's really what this event is about too,” Lesperance said.

Lesperance says in his family, there are deep ties to the military. He says that even today there are some who want to keep that tradition strong.

“My grandfather, my father, my uncles, we've covered the Marines, the Air Force, and the Army so far, and I have a niece thinking about the Navy." Lesperance explained, "She says she wants our family to cover all branches of the service.”

Some veterans become attached to their families away from home, says Morgan Langlois, another veterans. Langlois says she was happy to come home, but grew attached to those she met in service.

"You miss it. You know, when you go into the service you don't potentially see that as being a factor." Langlois said, "But when you get out and you move back to Vermont, or you move anywhere, in a lot of rural places you don't have that camaraderie anymore.”

Eastman, who has been attending for several years, believes this year has the largest outcome in the four years it has been put on.

“Definitely, as far as I know, yeah. I saw that they had over 200 registrants, and that doesn't include the walk-ins. They do a really nice job putting it all together”, Eastman said.

A second event, the Ian Muller Rail Jam, was planned to take place that same day at Q Burke Mountain Resort. Although weather conditions had to cancel the main event, the party still took place along with live music throughout the afternoon.

Plans for next year’s NEK Veterans Summit have already been started. The expected date for the event’s fifth year is March 11, 2017.

Vermont’s Veterans Services Directory offers 24/7 assistance to those who are in need. To visit the Directory, click here.

If you are interested in the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, click here.