Legion gives presents to veterans
BUTLER TWP — “Thank you for your service and Merry Christmas.”
That's what members of American Legion Post 117 in Butler told veterans Tuesday at the Sgt. Joseph George Kusick VA Community Living Center when they gave them Christmas presents.
Legion members, Sons of the Legion, ladies auxiliary and the Legion Riders made their annual delivery to residents of the facility.
Each group donated money to buy gifts for the 60 veterans, said Bill Schiebel, a Sons of the Legion member.
“We've been doing this every year. We get a list of everything they might need. We bought neck pillows, blankets, nail clippers, stuff for personal hygiene,” Schiebel said.
Joseph Laconi, 63, a Navy veteran from Butler, was surprised.
“I'm just stunned. That's really crazy,” Laconi said.
John Witkowski of North Washington, who spent 30 years in the Army and Air Force and is a former state trooper, was among the veterans who received gifts.
He shook hands and thanked Legion members after they gave him gifts, thanked him for his service and wished him a merry Christmas.
Each veteran received a bag of presents that came with a little cash and a book of postage stamps.
“We collected about $3,600 this year. It's more than double what we did last year,” Schiebel said. “It just helps them out for what they did for us.”
All patients in the living center this year are men, but he said there were three female veterans there last year.
The six Legion members had to use a small trailer to bring all the items to the center and then used a large hand cart to deliver the presents with help from VA staff members.
Last week, the veterans in the center spent their “patriot dollar” coupons for the PX on toys for the Toys for Tots program.
