MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Collierville VFW Post 5066 is under renovations.
Those doing the work are the veterans themselves and community volunteers.
Collierville VFW Post 5066 is sacred ground.
For civilians, it is a meeting place for service men and women.
For our local veterans, it is home.
The post carries on the legacy of our heroes for generations.
“The VFW to us is hollow ground. This post was established in 1945,” said Brian Walker, Tennessee VFW State Commander. “It housed WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korean, countless of conflicts from all over the world. For us, this is a place where we can come in and honor those who came before us.”
To continue that legacy, community volunteers and veterans like James Moore have come together to renovate the building.
“I wanted to support my community and help my brothers and just pay it forward,” said James Moore, U.S. Army Veteran. “You get to talk to and meet with people who have been in war, that kind of understand and have the same frame of reference that you may have. Talking about it is key. I could talk to you or I could talk to my wife. It’s not the same. Somebody who shares those types of experiences with you really make you feel like you’re not alone.”
Behind the building’s walls are layers of reminders from those who understand.
“We exposed history when we took all that paneling down,” said Walker. “There was a pay phone on the back wall. When we pulled it down, you could see where veterans etched numbers into the wood and their four-digit phone numbers. It’s emotional because you know you’re carrying on the legacy of WWI, WWII, Korea. That’s the generation that would have wrote that stuff on that wall. That’s the generation where we’re carrying on their mission.”
It is a mission of selfless service.
“For me, my service gives me joy. There is pain with things that I went through and things that happened, but overwhelming joy,” said Walker.
We asked, “What makes you want to keep serving?”
“My brothers and sisters that are in this building who come in here every day,” said Walker.
He and his fellow veterans are the carriers of a legacy and why our banner, yet, waves.
The VFW Post hopes to finish up work by the end of the week.
They are preparing to host some big events with guest celebrities such as Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty and Grace Askew from season four of The Voice. For more information, click here.