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Berkeley County's Veterans Combined Honor Guard fill voids as able

The Herald-Mail - 5/28/2017

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Older members of Berkeley County's Veterans Combined Honor Guard who participated in military funerals for years are fading away.

The guard's remaining six to eight participants continue to conduct military services on Memorial Day and Veterans Day at Martinsburg'sWar Memorial Park, but no longer presents military honors at veterans' funerals, according to Kenneth Yeakley.

"We were doing 80 to 90 funerals and special events a year," said Yeakley, 74. "Some of the guys are getting pretty old, (which) makes it hard."

Michelle "Shelly" Schoppert is administrative coordinator at Brown's Funeral Home in Martinsburg. She said Yeakley shows up in his uniform with a bugle to play taps at cemeteries whenever a veteran is buried.

"Kenny stands off to the side, and if no one is there to play taps, he plays it. It's very moving," she said.

Yeakley said it is his duty.

"We owe it to the veterans," he said. "There is no greater honor when a veteran passes on. We are comrades to the end."

Because the local honor guard hasn't been used at Martinsburg area funerals for five years, Armed Forces personnel from the branch in which the veteran served are called to present honors during the service.

Members of the Harpers Ferry/Bolivar District Veterans Association do about 40 graveside services a year, mostly in Jefferson County, according to member Doug Craze, a U.S. Air Force veteran.

The association has about 30 members, including 15 who serve in the honor guard, Craze said.

The association organizes the traditional Harpers Ferry Memorial Day parade, which concludes at Harpers Ferry Middle School, where a remembrance service is conducted at the veterans' monument.

The members designed their own parade uniforms.

"We wear striped black pants, white shirts, yellow ascots and white helmets," Craze said.

Charles Town has a combined honor guard made up of members from the Jackson-Perks American Legion Post 71 and VFW Post 3522, said Ralph Fox, honor guard commander. The unit was organized four years ago and performs about 30 funerals a year, he said.

Jim Proffitt, 84, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., a thrice-wounded veteran of the Korean War, is commander of the 16-member American Legion Post 60 honor guard. It does about 40 funeral services a year in Martinsburg and Morgan County, W.Va.; Fulton County, Pa.; Hancock, Clear Spring and occasionally Hagerstown in Maryland, Proffitt said.

"We always have a good turnout with that crew," Proffitt said.