Cadet Command Sgt. Maj. Charnae Hines and Cadet Lt. Col. Eric Thomas, from left at center, learn about the service experiences of members of the local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 942.It’s been 40-plus years since the members of Soddy-Daisy’s Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 942 served during that war. They don’t often swap war stories unless it’s a funny anecdote, they said. Many of the hard memories of war are left in the past.
But each veteran agrees that two things remain – their camaraderie and their desire to serve.
“We served back then and we still serve today,” said Glenn Maples, who served in the Army from 1969-1972 and in the Coast Guard from 1972-1992. “You never lose that feeling that this is my community and I want to look after it.”
Chapter 942 is active in Soddy’s community – cooking lunch for the city’s employees, coordinating the Christmas parade, donating food to the Soddy Daisy Food Bank and toys to Toys for Tots, and more.
In honor of their years of service as active members of the military and beyond, Soddy-Daisy High School is presenting a Veterans Day Parade on the school’s football field Friday, Nov. 5 starting at 6 p.m. The parade is not only to honor Vietnam vets, but all veterans in the Soddy-Daisy community.