A Great St. Patrick's Day Celebration At The Plymouth VFW

I attended the St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef Dinner event at the Plymouth VFW Post 6695, and this was my third food event. It is becoming increasingly clear to me that our veterans love good food, and they have perfected the art of corned beef. I'm gonna be honest, I thought I could cook a pretty mean corned beef dinner, but then I showed up at the VFW, and I was humbled. It was melt in your mouth culinary bliss.

There was good food, a few cold ones, Irish music, and great company. Our veterans know how to throw a party, pure and simple. There was just a steady flow of good things happening for the time that I was there. I also noticed one interesting thing. There were a ton of folks who would show up, and grab carry-outs. Maybe they couldn't stay and eat there for whatever reason, but that didn't stop them from taking advantage of this once a year treat.

There was also a visit by Plymouth's very own singing Irishman, John Stewart. John is a man who loves to sing, and he loves singing in front of lot's of people. I might too, if I had his voice, but I don't, so I don't. Seriously, John is a good man, and is no stranger to the Plymouth VFW from what I hear.

Aside from his selection of Irish classics, he led us all in singing My Country Tis Of Thee, and God Bless America, which are two songs that just do not get sung enough in my opinion. John is a good guy, and it was great singing with him on St. Paddy's Day.

So anyway, aside from the great food, I have said that you will find great company at a VFW event, and today was no exception. After being greeted by Gary”Bear” Kubik at the door, I was looking for a seat, and I saw a gentleman sitting down, and seeing as we had both come alone, I asked if he wanted company.

His name was Jack, and we exchanged pleasantries, and soon warmed up to each other a bit. I'd guess he is a good measure into his 80's, so it took just a bit to find common things to talk about. Red Wing hockey was a subject we both liked. Pretty soon we wore that out, and I asked him what service he served in. Turns out Jack is officially, Petty Officer Jack Fogt, USN RET. Jack served 20 years in the Navy, and served aboard the USS New York (BB 34) for a time during World War II.

Pretty soon Jack told me some stories about life on the ship, and life back then in general. He was on the ship during the bombardment of Okinawa. He talked about the 2,000 lb shells they they were shooting, and I told him that I had heard it described as shooting a Volkswagen through the air at your enemy. He kind of laughed at that, but he agreed.

He also talked about the time when they were subjected to a Kamikaze attack. He said he saw the whole thing, and that the plane flew right over their ship, and bombed a cruiser, and then circled back, and flew straight for the New York. Luckily, the ship only took minor damage on the side, and nobody was killed, but what a thing to have witnessed.

Jack also told me about how the New York finally ended her service. In 1946 they took it, and a bunch of other ships out into the Pacific, and did tests of our atomic bombs. Well the New York survived both tests without sinking, and then they towed her back to Pearl Harbor, where they soon decided that it might be best if they towed her back out to sea to use as target practice. She was soon sunk, and now sits at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Finally, Jack told me about going to see the new USS New York, which was built with steel from the World Trade Center. It is called the “never forget ship.” Jack told me about the reunions his shipmates have every year, and told me that they were able to have their reunion in New York to be at the ship commissioning. I thought that it was pretty darn special for him and others to be able to see the next generation USS New York (LPD21).

Jack met his wife at Madison Square Garden at an ice show. His wife skated with Sonja Henie. She passed in 1981, and Jack has lived alone since then, right by the Plymouth VFW.

I looked at Jack and told him that he had lived a pretty darn exciting life, and he just laughed at me and said that he thought it was pretty dull. Amazing.

I always talk about good company when I write about an event at the Plymouth VFW, and now you can understand what I mean. Where else can you go have lunch and a beer with a real live World War II hero, who fought the Japs in the Pacific?

This is not like having lunch with Steve Yzerman or Nick Lidstrom, or any of the many so called sports heroes. This is so much more. I was sitting with a man who fought the war that shaped the future of not only our nation, but of the whole world.

You could end up sitting with someone who went through the battle of Inchon, in the Korean War, and you will sit with a bunch of men who fought in Vietnam, only to be treated like dirt when they came home by their own people. These men waited decades before they were honored in any kind of meaningful way, and yet I never see a trace of bitterness in them.

I think that this is the reason I was so drawn to this place after my first visit. When you walk in these doors, there is a certain aura about the place. The folks there are as friendly and welcoming as can be, they are humble, and down to Earth, and all that, but there is a certain something about them that lets you know that you are walking among heroes. It's impossible to explain with words, it's just something that you feel. You know that you are merely a visitor here. They make you feel like you are one of them, but in your heart, you know different. You have not walked in their boots, you have not seen what they have seen.

Yep, you are definitely among heroes, and that is a really good thing...