A last thank you for your support

I wish to thank Joe of Joe’s Hardware, his workers, and his patrons. All of the aforementioned have contributed most generously in the past during our local Veteran of Foreign War’s (VFW) Buddy Poppy campaign.

The monies collected during the campaigns go to help local needy vets and their families. Part of the monies help support our national orphanage.

The reason I am giving my last thank you is that it appears I am losing the war against esophageal cancer. The average expected lifespan of a person with this aggressive cancer is six months. So far, I have lived 22 months past that.

I truly believe that doing the campaign for the Buddy Poppies has extended my life, because I believe in our VFW motto: “Honoring the Dead by helping the living.”

Those donations have helped me become the top Buddy Poppy campaign fundraiser for the Fallbrook VFW Post for the past three years. All of those mentioned above have helped me obtain that honor; therefore, I thank all of you.

As I will not be at Joe’s this year, I ask you to donate what you can to those of the VFW and its Ladies and Men’s auxiliaries this coming campaign. Thank you.

Richard E. Dence