March 16, 2020 at 3:53 p.m.
Rhinelander VFW celebrates 85th anniversary
VFW members join in camaraderie to celebrate local post and Carl Weidling's 100th birthday
Rhinelander VFW celebrates 85th anniversary
By Stephanie Kuski-
The Rhinelander VFW Post 3143 was founded on March 14, 1935, and was named after Ray Rousseau, a soldier who fought in Company L, 127th Infantry of the 32nd Division of the Wisconsin Infantry during World War I.
While the organization's roots can be traced back to 1899 when veterans founded local organizations to care for the wounded and sick who returned home from combat, today the VFW's mission is to foster camaraderie among veterans of foreign wars and advocate on their behalf. They work to ensure that veterans are respected for their years of service and are recognized for their sacrifices.
In addition to the national organization's sponsorship of veterans and campaigns for wellness, youth and education, the local VFW also advocates for community initiatives of various sorts.
Today, the Rhinelander post's 82 members work diligently to serve local initiatives, including supporting the local parade and fair, in addition to advocating for younger community members to join the services.
Mike Perry, commander of the Rhinelander VFW Post 3143 and Vietnam veteran who served from 1967-88, said the local VFW also provides two scholarships to Rhinelander High School seniors every year. Those scholarship recipients have family members who have served, which allows the local VFW to give back to the families of veterans as well, he said.
"I belong to the post because we want to give back to veterans, I can't put it any simpler than that," Perry said. "We are 85 years young."
Quartermaster of the Rhinelander Post 3143 Ralph Larson, who served as an engineer working near Frankfurt, Germany, from 1953-54 during the Korean War, said the local VFW tries to give about $20,000 to non-profit organizations in Rhinelander every year.
But Larson also said a major personal reason for him to join the local VFW had to do with the social aspect and camaraderie shared among post members.
"All the young veterans should join, because we need the help," Larson said.
He explained that many current members of the local VFW are getting older, and without new members, there are fears these cherished traditions won't survive.
But seeing local members join in celebration and camaraderie during the anniversary/birthday celebration on Saturday was a reminder of the positive contributions this organization has offered our community.
Another well-known annual campaign sponsored by local posts is the VFW Buddy Poppy program, which provides compensation to veterans and financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans' rehabilitation and service programs.
After their first poppy distribution prior to Memorial Day of 1922, the poppy was adopted as the official memorial flower of the VFW and is symbol of the blood shed during World War I.
Marvin (Marv) Rathbone, appointed chaplain for the Rhinelander VFW Post 3143 and VFW member for 50 years, recalled stories told of poppies growing in Flanders Field in Belgium.
"There's all kinds of stories and songs about Flanders Field," Rathbone explained. "All that grows out of there - and they don't know why, it's one of these weird things that nobody understands - but they (the poppies) grow only there."
He said the Rhinelander VFW sells those poppies every spring at local businesses in town. The money collected directly benefits veterans in our area, he said.
Rathbone, a longtime and dedicated VFW member, works diligently in his retired life today to work closely with other veteran members at the local VFW, visiting them when they're ill and holding prayer and funeral services for their families when they've passed.
Rathbone spoke fervidly about the traditions associated with veteran services, and he works diligently to keep those traditions alive and well today.
In addition, Rathbone is also present at the local VFW's monthly meetings, in which members share news and strategize to meet their organization's goals, but also take time to reflect on the past.
Rathbone spoke nostalgically of his time serving in the Army following World War II in Germany from 1963-65 before working at an artillery outfit serving in Vietnam from 1965-66.
"At 17(-years-old) and being brought out of Minneapolis where I was born ... I went right from high school and within a week I was in the service," Rathbone said.
"My uncle was in the Navy at Pearl Harbor; my dad was at Hiroshima. I have another uncle that was down in Guadalcanal. They were all fighters," he continued. "They used to come home constantly talking about this stuff between themselves. [...] I ended up over there and I just couldn't believe it."
Rathbone said his first wartime experience was in Schwäbisch Hall, a small village approximately 40 miles east outside of Stuttgart in Germany.
"Every week, we used to take the laundry from everyone," Rathbone explained. "We'd have to take it into Stuttgart for the German people to do the laundry for us. Every time I would go out, I would see this little old lady. She would be standing in her front yard and just standing there, not doing anything. I thought she was a statue at one time."
"After all those years, when I brought my wife (Marie) over to Taylor Park, she was there," Rathbone said. "She was there and I didn't know it was her."
He said he met Alva Fraiser, the woman who he had seen whilst doing his laundry all those years ago.
"I found out she was German ... so I went in there and I talked to her," Rathbone continued. "When she told me where she was in Germany at Schwäbisch Hall, I told her I was at the army base there. And she goes, 'yeah I was right out there.'"
"Then all of these memories flooded into my head, so then I asked her, ... 'you knew the trains were coming in left and right bringing in people and leaving empty. Did you figure out what was going on?'" Rathbone said. "She said 'yes, we knew what was going on.' I said 'it didn't bother you?' She said, 'yeah, but if we said anything we were in there; we would be killed.'"
Rathbone continued with stories of his time working at an army base near a concentration camp in Dachau, Germany, following World War II.
"Dachau was the first concentration ever set up in Germany," in March of 1933, he explained. "That was not for what we call 'civilian prisoners of war' - it was set up for the priests, doctors and who they wanted out of the picture."
"When I was there, my job was to secure the whole base and make sure nobody came in to destroy it," he continued. "I remember standing next to the ovens where they were burning people in the crematorium - it was two o'clock in the morning and I'm 17 years-old."
Rathbone said that "birds don't fly over Dachau ... the birds fly towards Dachau, then the smell comes out of the ground and they're gone."
He recalled white crosses in the fields of farmers, a common sight to see in the rolling fields of Bavaria, but Rathbone remembered asking one man in particular about it.
"This one old farmer who I was talking to one night, I asked him not knowing what it was for. I asked, 'why'd you put that cross up like that, nobody can see it,'" Rathbone recalled. "He said, 'no, but that's where my wife and kids were killed.'"
"There's an old phrase we used to have above our door in the barracks and it said, 'those who neglect the past are doomed to repeat it,'" he continued. "That's exactly what it was."
Rathbone said sharing his stories is important for younger generations to hear, considering his world at 17-years-old looked quite different from an individual living in today's society.
He imparts the wisdom he gained through his experiences abroad to younger generations and revels in the opportunity to share his experiences with others who have encountered similar realities.
Rathbone said his grandson, now 24-years-old, has chosen to follow in his family's footsteps and is currently serving in Afghanistan.
"He said he heard so much from me, his dad and his grandfather on the other side of his family that he wanted to be involved," Rathbone said. "He's been in the army now for six years and he's a sergeant already, which is really amazing."
The stories shared by the brave men who served our country abroad in their youth and continue to serve our community in their retirement was an honor to experience during their anniversary celebration.
Stephanie Kuski may be reached via email at [email protected].
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