COLUMBUS, Ohio — At VFW Post 8794, you’ll find Richard Curry, a proud U.S. Army veteran.
He uses the Fourth of July to reflect on his military career.
“I think all veterans enjoy the Fourth of July, because it holds that special place of the founding of this country, and we understand what that means and what we protect,” said Richard.
Him and his wife, Christine, are responsible for the VFW’s Fourth of July float. Both are Army veterans. Christine said she takes the holiday to honor America’s founding.
“Countrymen died getting us that freedom, and every war after we have been fighting for some kind of freedom either for other countries or for us,” said Christine.
Each color of the float has a meaning. Red represents the blood shed, green represents the field in which soldiers died and blue is the color of freedom and the VFW, the veterans explained. In each war since the first, millions of men and women have died in honor to protect the rights and freedoms of the U.S. Christine said their efforts should be celebrated and remembered.
“Freedom is never free,” Christine explained. “This represents the major cost that was paid for our country to have the freedom that it does.”
Christine and Richard got the float ready for the Whitehall parade on the Fourth. Richard said he hopes people learn from their float.
“That’s why we do this float,” he said. “It’s more than just the cookouts. It’s more than just fireworks; it’s all about how this country was born.”
The VFW in Whitehall will participate in the community’s parade this holiday at 10 a.m., and it plans to have a big gathering open to the public starting at 1 p.m.
