Veterans support one another during pandemic

Veterans Day, like many other holidays this year, looks a little different because of the pandemic. While the usual parades and large gatherings have been canceled, it remains an important time to recognize and celebrate veterans, particularly since vets are among the most vulnerable to experiencing physical and emotional challenges during the pandemic.

Aware of this risk, veterans organizations in Tompkins County have worked to help vets who may be struggling with feelings of isolation and worries about the risk of contracting COVID-19. In addition, local veterans have taken to supporting one another, getting together in small groups and checking in to help one another through this difficult time.

Roger Rumsey was drafted to serve in Vietnam in 1966 and stayed there until August of 1967. When he came home, he was sent his membership at the Ithaca Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 961. Now, he works as the VFW’s quartermaster. As he described it, the beginning weeks of COVID-19 hitting the county hit his VFW hard.

“When the state mandated that we close, it was a difficult time for everybody,” he said. “Everybody was concerned about getting the COVID. I guess it was a depressing time, to say the least, having to close the VFW posts and not see our members. That lasted for over three months, so that was a hard time.”

While the VFW has since reopened, many members have not returned in person, Rumsey said.

“We’re an aging organization, so we have a lot of older members that are concerned about their health,” he said. “Most of them have underlying conditions that makes it even more difficult. … I am concerned about a lot of people because I think if some of them got [COVID-19], that would be the end.”

Seeing the challenges members have faced, Rumsey and others at the VFW have worked to stay in touch with folks and give them whatever resources they may need.

“Some of them have reached out to us,” he said. “We’ve had some people traveling through town, and they stop in and they need a few bucks, and we try to help them out because there’s a lot of people hurting, and a lot of veterans are included. And so, if we can help them financially, or if we can go get something for them, we’ve got people that will go pick up groceries, prescriptions, that type of thing.”

With COVID-19 rates increasing across the nation, Rumsey is concerned about the health and safety of his members, as well as the VFW’s ability to help those in need. Rumsey said that he’d hate to see the VFW close again and take away a place many vets use to socialize together.

“Hopefully, we can keep open because I think people that want to feel better about having a place to come to,” he said. “We have a lot of people just come and they want to have a cup of coffee. That’s the place that they can do it. And during the time that we were shut down, there were several people that really missed that part of being able to stop in and have a cup of coffee with their friends. And … I hope we can continue that.”

While many veterans are struggling right now, three local vets shared stories of supporting one another and making it through the pandemic: Michael Moran, Harvey Baker and Charles Harrington, all from Vietnam Veterans Of America New York Chapter 377 (VVA 377) in Dryden.

Moran served as an infantry lieutenant in the U.S. Army on active duty from November ’70 to November ’74, with a year in Vietnam. Moran is now retired and lives with his wife in the town of Caroline.

Moran said that the pandemic hasn’t affected him that much. Most of his Veterans Affairs appointments have transitioned to online, and he’s been able to go to the Syracuse VA Medical Center when needed.

“We had plenty of food,” Moran said about the start of the pandemic. “I had five cans of Spam in my downstairs cupboard. For older people, as long as you’ve got that, you’re set. … So, I don’t think it has affected us physically, hasn’t affected us mentally. It was nice when the sun finally came out in May and people were able to get outside.”

In addition, Moran has a small group of other veterans he gets together with every Tuesday, and they continued getting together throughout the pandemic. Moran described the experience of staying safe while also spending time with one another.

“You get out of the house, you get to talk with friends, and that worked out pretty well,” he said. “We did in our Vietnam veterans group have one or two pop-up get-togethers where 12 to 15 older men stood in a huge circle, 6 feet apart, yelling at each other to say hello because most have hearing problems, and one grenade would not have gotten us all. That’s the original social distancing; in the military, don’t get grouped up or one grenade will get you all.”

The group members continued to support one another, calling just to talk and making sure everyone’s doing well.

“Everybody made it a habit to call each other,” Moran said. “So, even guys who weren’t coming to the chapters, a couple of ladies, they were getting phone calls from other members just to chit-chat and see how things were going. So, that network of Vietnam veterans really, really helped with people, and people would thank each other for calling.”

Moran explained why he and other members felt it was important to keep those connections despite the challenging circumstances created by the pandemic.

“When you’re in the military, whether it’s in a combat zone or whatever, it’s all a teamwork thing,” he said. “And you look out for each other because if you don’t look after the other person, they may not be looking out for you. So, our get-togethers … [were] just to support each other and teamwork. … And it’s just a core that comes out of people who’ve served in the military.”

Baker joined the Marine Corps when he turned 18 in 1965. He served in the Marine Corps for four years, two of which were in Vietnam as a scout dog handler. Now, Baker lives in Groton, and he described how the beginning weeks of the pandemic went for him.

“We buckled down,” he said. “We settled in and waited to ride out the storm. Everything kind of shut down.”

Even as things have opened up, Baker is continuing to stay mostly at home, avoiding get-togethers that might put him and his loved ones at risk of the virus. Still, Baker, like Moran, said he hasn’t experienced any significant challenges during the pandemic. The biggest change for Baker was with his medical appointments.

“Some of my VA appointments were canceled,” he said. “The VA has had a lot of problems nationwide — 50,000 cases, 7,000 deaths. So, a lot of VA appointments were totally done away with and are canceled, and how the VA did see you was in a very limited basis, sometimes not even going into the building.”

Like Moran, Baker has kept in touch with friends and loved ones. Baker explained why staying in touch is important to him.

“You maintain a friendship because this thing will end someday or won’t be as severe,” he said. “And if you want to retain your friends, you better stay in contact with people.”

Harrington enlisted in the Navy in 1963 and was soon assigned to the USS Newport News, a heavy cruiser. He was on board that ship for approximately four years.

“During my last enlistment, three months before I was supposed to end my enlistment, our ship was being readied for Vietnam,” he said. “And instead of me going to Vietnam for about three months, and having to ship me back, I was then assigned up to Newport, Rhode Island, to finish up my enlistment for the last three months on the USS Biddle.”

At the start of the pandemic, Harrington said any concerns he had were centered around his wife, which was a sentiment shared by others at VVA 377.

“She had some health concerns, and I was really nervous at that point, like many of our members,” Harrington said. “Their health, their wives’ health was compromised. So, they were very worried about even going to a meeting. … So, we toughed it out, and we had to stay away from each other.”

Like Baker and Moran, Harrington said he hasn’t faced significant physical or emotional challenges during the pandemic.

“After going through boot camp, it’s like, it can’t be any worse than that,” he said. “The worst problem I have is having that mask on. As soon as I get out of the grocery store, I rip it off. I’m more tired of the masks than I think of the epidemic. … Sooner or later, we’re going to create a vaccine, and I’m going to be happy as hell.”

Harrington also spoke to the importance of VVA 377 and keeping in touch with veterans in general.

“I think it’s a fellowship, that they want to look out after each other,” he said. “Some of their veteran friends have passed away over the years, and it’s a way to stay in touch. And once you start losing your friends, you want to keep what you have.”

For this Veterans Day, sources said it’s important to honor veterans however you can, even if traditional events have been canceled. In that spirit, these veterans offered words of encouragement to one another and all other vets in Tompkins County and beyond.

“Hang in there,” Baker said. “This too shall pass.”

Rumsey shared that sentiment.

“All the veterans should be very proud of themselves,” he said. “I will always remember veterans. I had uncles and former veterans, [and] I’ve always admired them. And I just hope everybody remembers what Veterans Day is about.”