Armed forces day marked by car show

Published 1:21 pm Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The timing is perfect.

The third annual Austin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1216 car show falls on Armed Forces Day this year.

It is a marriage made in fox holes, along skirmish lines, aboard ships at sea and wherever veterans of today’s wars and wars passed served their country.

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Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. The day was created in 1949, and was a result of the consolidation of the military services in the Department of Defense. It was intended to replace the separate Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Days, but observance of these days, especially within each particular service, continues to this day.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions and air shows.

The purpose of Armed Forces day is to honor Americans serving in the five services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.

This year, VFW Post No. 1216 will do it with a car show.

“We’re fortunate our car show falls on Armed Forces Day this year,” said Rollie Hanson, chairman of the car show committee. “Our theme for this year’s show is ‘Red, White and Blue’ and we plan to honor all veterans from all branches of the services.”

With the blessing of post commander Dennis Nelson, Hanson and committee members Steve and Annie Tapp and Bob Boysen went to work to make the 2008 show “extra special.”

“There was no special theme the first year we did the car show,” said Annie Tapp, “but last year we honored all veterans with a balloon release, we honored those veterans who are deceased as well as those who are still on active duty and retired or discharged.”

This year, there will be an “Honor Board” where the names of all veterans can be written.

The names of the people who dedicate a veteran for the recognition will be placed in a kettle for a special prize-drawing.

Five 15-foot, in-ground flag pole kits will be donated to the winners; one for each the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

According to Hanson, Norm Hecimovich is the sponsor for the Army’s prize, Norma Register for the Navy’s, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary the Air Force’s, Disabled American Veterans Chapter No. 27 the Coast Guard’s and Usem’s Inc. the Marine Corps’.

Another patriotic feature of the Saturday car show will be a helium balloon sale, according to Annie Tapp. The balloons — complete with the name of a veterans — will be sold for $1 each or three for $2.

“It’s all being done to honor veterans,” said Hanson, who is himself a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

Hanson has served two terms as Post No. 1216’s commander.

He has been a member since 1968, when he came home from the Vietnam War. “It’s my home club,” he said of Post No. 1216.

Details

The car show begins with registration starting before 10 a.m.

A DJ will play 1950s music throughout the show.

Hanson will serve as master of ceremonies and announce prize winners, describe cars and trucks in the show, ask trivia questions and acknowledge the sponsors of the exhibition. There will also be a sponsor board to recognize the generosity of advertisers.

Between 2 and 3 p.m., there will be a flag presentation by Post No. 1216’s Honor Guard.

Trophies will be announced sometime near 4 p.m. Saturday.

There will be People’s Choice awards plus first, second and third-place honors in each of five classes.

One of the classes is new this year: 1989 to the present to acknowledge all the new “cool” vehicles.

The entry fee is $5 per vehicle entered.

Food and refreshments will be sold throughout the day.

In addition to the People’s Choice award — won last year by Dave Klingfus and his 1949 red Chevy pickup truck — there will be the Commander’s Choice and Past Presidents Choice awards.

Hanson said there will be a Car Corral style activity, where vehicle owners will be allowed to display vehicles which are for sale. However, those vehicles will not be allowed in the regular competition for honors and of course, the vehicles must all be “classics.”

The public is invited, and Hanson said, that includes families.

“This is something the entire family can enjoy and it hopefully will attract people to visit our downtown and shop there, too,” he said.

Hot cars, cool pickups and sweet-looking motorcycles and the U.S. Armed Forces — what a combination.

“We believe it will be more successful than the first two were,” said Hanson. “We attracted 66 vehicles the first year and 68 in 2007.

“This is the first car show of the season and brings some of the best vehicles from northern Iowa and southern Minnesota to Austin for a day,” he added.

“We’re very appreciative of the sponsors we attract and hope people will patronize their businesses for supporting our car show,” Hanson said.

“We also hope it will help increase the enthusiasm at the club,” said Hanson. “We want to keep our comradeship and patriotism up in the VFW and celebrating Armed Forces Day like this will help us do that.”