WAYMART, Pa. — Hundreds flocked to Wayne County for a tribute to the men and women in our armed forces.
Rows of classic cars filled the front lawn of the Salvation Army's Ladore Lodge in Waymart.
"I had a brother that just passed away; he was a Vietnam vet, so I like to do things to honor him and all the vets," said Chuck Gifford from Plains Township.
Open to the public, the event began with a brief ceremony paying tribute to veterans of past and present.
Dale Pepper, commander of American Legion Post 807 in Hamlin, speaks highly of his fellow comrades, acknowledging local and national support veterans are seeing with the recent passing of the PACT Act, which provides health care to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who were exposed to toxic burn pits.
"We are very appreciative of Congress passing that on behalf of the burn pit victims in Iraq and other situations, too, and it's certainly needed," Pepper said.
The open house hopes to promote veteran support and make available the resources and services veterans might not know about after serving.
"I see people who are likely veterans when I travel into Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, and they live so close to agencies of the government and private," said Leonard Boynton, administrator for the Salvation Army's Ladore Lodge.
Boynton works with local veteran programs and American Legion posts to keep members up to date on the services available through vet centers and other government programs.
"Come on in from the cold, or from their own independence and allow the American society to give you, treat you with the respect and the dignity and services that you certainly deserve," Boynton said.
While making the services available offers some help, Boynton says the most important thing is keeping the veterans talking and creating a space to share their support and advice for their brothers and sisters in arms.
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