Our Neighborhood Veterans

by Jim Houck, Jr. Richard (Dick) Fleagle Sons of AMVETS Richard (Dick) Fleagle is AMVETS Post 7 Thurmont’s AMVETS Son of the YEAR 2013. Neighbors, I am honored to have him as a friend and comrade, and one of the most respected men I have had the privilege of knowing. Dick Fleagle—known by many in our Veterans organizations as Uncle Dick—takes pride in serving all Veterans and is an asset to the many Veteran organizations in which he is a member. Dick is the heart of Thurmont AMVETS Post 7, and if anyone at the Post needs something done, Dick is the “go to man.” Dick is 1^st Vice Commander of The Sons of AMVETS Squadron 7 Thurmont, and part of his job is taking care of membership. This is a job that he does not take lightly, as he pours his heart and soul into making sure everything is done right in aiding our membership. Dick can probably tell you the names of all of our members and, unless they have recently moved, their addresses, also. Dick puts hours and hours into keeping the membership straight. When he knows he is right about something, and someone tries to change his mind, the five-foot-four-and-a half-inch dynamo cannot be budged. Dick has great integrity and will follow the rules set by our parent organizations to the letter. The functions given by our family of Veterans, Auxiliary, and Sons, knows that Dick will be there helping in any way that he can, if possible. Dick will only miss being at any of the events if he had already committed to another event before that one was scheduled, or if he or one of his family becomes ill. AMVETS Post 7 held their 1^st Annual “Member of the Year” awards in 2013, and Dick was the Sons of the AMVETS recipient of the award. Dick was very deserving of the award and was very proud to accept it. Dick is a member of our Post 7 Honor Guard and doesn’t miss many functions that the Honor Guard participates in. He also belongs to the musical group “The Catoctin Hollow Boys,” and, folks, you will just have to go see them when Doctor Mudcat does karaoke and DJs at various functions at the Post. The group is well worth coming to see. The members at Post 7 are all so proud of Dick, and it doesn’t take much to get them talking about what a great person he is and how much he has helped AMVETS Post 7. Dick is a member of the Department of Maryland Sons of AMVETS and is their Chaplain. He belongs to VFW Auxiliary 6658 in Emmitsburg. Dick also helps with many functions that the Auxiliary sponsors. He also belongs to Sons of the American Legion Squadron 121 Emmitsburg, where he is Chaplain and aides in SAL functions. Dick is a man of many talents and wears a lot of different hats at different places. He is a man of integrity and energy that never seems to fade. I am proud to call this man my good buddy, and hope we can remain friends for a long time. The next time you see Dick, shake his hand and tell him you are proud of the things he has been doing for our Veterans. You will find out how humble this man is, someone who just wants to do things the right way.                                                                                                                   Thank you, Dick! God Bless the United States of America, God Bless the U.S. Veteran, and God Bless You. Richard (Dick) Fleagle