By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
On Thursday, the Hays Senior Center, 2450 E. Eighth, hosted one of several local events thanking and honoring veterans for their military service.
The program started at 1 p.m., allowing attendance by veterans who had earlier participated in the Hays Kiwanis military appreciation lunch next door at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall.
The Rose Garden provided the dessert cake served at the conclusion of the senior center program.
Emcee Guy Windholz, Senior Center board member and former Ellis County commissioner, welcomed the special guests, including World War II veterans Don Bickle, U.S. Navy, and Bob Pfeifer, U.S. Army, of Hays. Both men are 97 years old.
Honored posthumously was Hays army veteran Harold Plymell, who was stationed in Japan during World War II. He passed away Oct. 17 at the age of 98.
Alex Freidenberger, who served in World War II as an army tech sergeant, was also attending. From Bison, he's the oldest living veteran in Rush County and celebrated his 100th birthday on Aug. 12.
Freidenberger shared what he has in common with another World War II veteran, former President Jimmy Carter, a naval veteran.
"We're both 100 old this year. We both voted by mail, and we both taught Sunday school in church. How about that?" Freidenberger said.
A patriotic musical tribute was sung by the Victoria group Trilogy, comprised of Jerry Schmidtberger, Rick Rupp and Leroy Schmidtberger.
The event was made possible by a community fund grant from Midwest Energy.
The annual Ellis County Veterans Day program will be Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at the Hays VFW Post 9076, 2106 Vine. A free-will donation lunch will follow the program. Everyone is invited.