As a veteran, Don Hentges wishes more Veterans Day activities occurred on Veterans Day.
But he understands that events at schools have to happen during the hours when students are in attendance.
And as president of the Jefferson City Veterans Council, he can make certain the council's annual program is held on Nov. 11.
Still, he has a sense of humor about some activities being held outside the holiday.
"I didn't pick the day I had to fight," Hentges added. "For veterans, it's important it's held on Veterans Day."
Timing is everything, he said. Hentges is a board member for Operation Bugle Boy, whose largest event is the annual Veterans Appreciation Dinner. It's held each year on the Thursday before Veterans Day.
As a board member, Hentges hosted the dinner's keynote speaker, Ray Kapaun, on Friday as he traveled to local schools to speak to students.
Kapaun is the nephew of the Rev. Emil Kapaun, a chaplain who died in a Chinese prison camp during the Korean War.
His assistance with Kapaun prevented Hentges from being as involved in as many veterans events as normal this year, Hentges said.
"It's kind of a strange Veterans Day for me," he said. "(I'd tell students) the same thing I always tell them. We need to remember our veterans and honor our veterans."
Hentges said area veterans won't have much rest following the holiday. They'll lay the wreaths at Jefferson City National Cemetery on Dec. 9 during Wreaths for Heroes (always done on the second Saturday in December).
The tradition began in Jefferson City in 2010, he continued, and it has been spreading.
The local group replaced all of its wreaths three years ago. It has about 1,600. Since replacing the wreaths, smaller communities have reached out to request the used wreaths so they might set them out, too.
Hentges said he recently delivered a batch to a little church west of California. A lady from a second small church met him there and got some for her own church, too.
"I'm appreciative to see them more and more -- organizations, churches, schools and youth -- getting involved in this," Hentges said. "We'll place wreaths at Enloe Cemetery in Russellville on Dec. 4. There's a lot of veterans in that cemetery. We'll get the high school involved in it. It's a good history lesson for a lot of them ... and me."
News Tribune file
While some students from Russellville High School stand back in respect Wednesday, Don Hentges salutes at the grave of Elmo Bryant as wreaths were placed at the graves of military veterans at Enloe Cemetery. Hentges knew and admired Bryant, who he worked for prior to entering and upon return from military service. Hentges, who is with the Jefferson City Veterans Council, delivered the wreaths for students to place at gravestones as part of the Wreaths for Heroes program.