The Patrick County Veterans Memorial Honor Guard needs immediate help! The Honor Guard was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1992, according to Richard Cox, a longstanding member of the local guard.
Cox recalled there were about 50 members at the time of incorporation.
“Over the years since the Honor Guard was founded, its members have proudly conducted military rites for deceased veterans at approximately 1,000 funerals,” Cox said.
As can be expected over the years, the membership has decreased significantly due to the age of the members, illness, disability, or moving from the area, Cox said and added that currently, the membership is down to 28 active and inactive members.
Additionally, “many members are reaching an age, or are facing health issues that result in them being unable to be as active or able to respond as they once did,” Cox said. “Younger members are still employed full time, and this prevents them from responding when they are at work.”
Recently, this has created an undesirable situation of not having enough members available for the Honor Guard to fully perform the military rites for a deceased veteran, he said.
“This is a desperate call to arms to the citizens of Patrick County and all veterans,” Cox said. “We need new members immediately if the honor guard is to continue to be available for the funeral(s) of our deceased comrades in arms.”
Cox said members are not expected to be available 100 percent of the time “should you choose to join us,” and encouraged anyone interested in honoring the legacy and service of others to “please consider becoming a member of our organization. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month. This is an open invitation to attend one of our meetings.”
If you can help or are interested, call Cox at (276) 340-1618 or email him at PatCoVetMemHonGrd@gmail.com.
