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 CHEYENNE,
Wyo. - It's 1969, Richard M. Nixon is in the Oval Office, “The Brady
Bunch” is on television, the hippies are at Woodstock and Neil
Armstrong is the first person to set foot on the moon.
In
1969, the men and women of the armed forces are at war in Vietnam
while our nation is at war with itself, its civil rights and its
identity.
Across the country, be it college professors and
their students, political leaders and their pundits or religious
leaders and their flocks, thousands of ordinary Americans protest
our involvement in Vietnam War and will rally at bases, ports and
depots to personally insult, mock and denigrate our service members
on their return home.
But to thousands of other Americans,
the War in Vietnam is more than just a headline on the nightly news
or a rallying cry for agents of national policy change. For many
American families, the war in Vietnam is personal and it hits home.
In 1969, less than a year after graduating from Cheyenne's
Central High School and leaving his home near Little Bear, less than
six months after his 18th birthday and within weeks of beginning his
first tour in Vietnam, Pfc. Dennis B. Farris is killed in action.
In 1969 his mother, Berniece Farris (photo left - August 3,
2013), decided to honor her son with a lifetime commitment to those
affected not only by the current war but all wars.
She has
made weekly visits to the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Hospital, where
she delivers hand crafted tokens of compassion.
These tokens are what she calls “comfort pillows”
and, for almost half a century, Farris has lovingly fashioned
approximately 9,000 pillows for American veterans of wars spanning
an entire century.
Veterans, from the World War I to the
Iraq and Afghanistan wars, have been comforted by her compassion and
kindness. They've been consoled by her willingness to show her
gratitude for their service by the giving of a small gift, a sincere
hug or by simply being there.
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Leaders of the Wyoming Air National Guard present Berniece
Farris with an award for her lifetime of service to the men and
women of the armed forces during the 153rd Airlift Wing change of
command ceremony in Cheyenne, Wyo., Aug. 3, 2013. For almost half a
century, Farris has lovingly fashioned approximately 9,000 pillows
for American veterans of wars spanning an entire century. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Natalie Stanley)
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With the assistance of the Cheyenne VA's Voluntary Service
Program chief, Linda Brown, and Voluntary Service specialist, Cindy
Stockdale, Farris has garnered the help of like-minded patriots from
throughout the region to help the healing process for service
members and their families. Her devotion to her son's memory and the
comfort brought to countless veterans over the years makes her a
true American hero.
By USAF 153rd Airlift Wing
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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