MIDDLEBORO — Veterans of all ages came out for the first Veterans Appreciation Day hosted by the Middleboro Veterans Service Office held at Battis Field on Saturday, June 15. 

Middleboro Veterans Agent Steve Adelman said the the objective of the day is for him to get to know all of the veterans in the town.  

Those who came out enjoyed cookout food, outdoor games, firetrucks and police trucks to explore, a bouncy house and a face-painting station. The event drew a crowd of 92 veterans and their family members, according to Adelman. 

For many, the day was about meeting new people and bonding over shared experiences. 

Veterans Thom Benvie and “Mr.” Bill Elder met and connected over lunch about their experiences serving as a tank mechanic and tanker in the army during the 1970s. 

Benvie, who previously served as the Veterans Agent in Holbrook, noted how everyone who has served in the military “has a similar experience, believe it or not.”

“I never realized how many Veterans there are until I worked as the Veterans’ Agent,” he admitted.

Elder has been a member of the Veterans’ Organization Rolling Thunder, Inc. for 10 years, he said. Seeing how poorly he and other Vietnam-era veterans were treated made him want to get involved in a cause that supported veterans, he noted. “I’ve grabbed many a young person by the throat when they’ve disrespected the military,” he said. 

Veteran Bob Duplin, who served in the Marine Corps from 1982-1994, brought his grandchildren for the occasion. He said that he and his wife attend the Veterans and Memorial Day parades every year. 

With his granddaughter perched on his hip, he added, “we like to bring the grandkids because we think that patriotism is being forgotten. I think the kids need to grow up and learn what I learned when I was growing up. You got to get that American Spirit back.” 

Veterans Appreciation Day was put on with the help of 25 volunteers and donations made by the Town of Middleboro, Friends of the Middleboro Public Library, Hannaford supermarkets, Beantown Home Improvement and Trucchi’s supermarkets.