VETERAN SPOTLIGHT: RON MCCARTY A VETERAN COMMUNITY

PHOTO AND STORY BY EMILY CLEMMER

Community can be found within your neighborhood, your school, your workplace, your church, your child’s extracurricular activities, or within any organization that you enjoy being a part of. The Collierville VFW provides a place for Veterans of Foreign Wars to find community, share stories of experiences from active service, and relate with other like-minded men and women.

"It’s a huge melting pot here with strong camaraderie,” says Ron McCarty, a Vietnam  veteran who is heavily involved in the VFW. "We are all taking care of all veterans that may need help.”

"Sometimes the story of the Vietnam Veteran doesn’t get told,” McCarty says. "The VFW is a place to come back in and gain a sense of pride for what I went through.” After Ron McCarty graduated high school in 1968, he was drafted into the United States Army in March of 1969. Ron’s older brother was also in the service in Vietnam at the same time. Originally, Ron was sent to Germany and then on to Vietnam after his brother came home. He spent 15 months in Vietnam servicing helicopter avionic repairs. "Fortunately, I was able to come home and had no bad experiences.”

"Back at home, the general public was in such disagreement with the war. Vietnam Veterans were shunned. We would grow our hair out long to try to blend in because short-haired males stood out like a sore thumb. We had a lot of trouble readjusting due to the tone of the nation towards veterans coming home. Over time, the community has realized the importance of that war, and have developed a respect for the Vietnam Veterans. "My story is for the guys going through the mud now and I can only hope I’ve helped some of them.”

Ron serves as the House Committee Chair at the Collierville VFW. His role is to make sure everything is in working order and kept in good shape. Members of the VFW meet monthly on the third Thursday of every month. Before the business meeting, they have an hour of hospitality and a meal together. The recreational area is fairly new within the last couple of years. A lot of the events are open to the public. "We want Collierville to know we are active in our community,” he says. The VFW will host events like homecoming celebrations, fish fry dinners, and live music. The VFW building is also available to be rented out as a reception hall.

Ron McCarty has been an active member of the Collierville VFW for six years now. He joined after retiring from a long career within the turf equipment industry. He now works part-time as the Warehouse Manager for Collierville Schools. He and his wife, Bobbie, have been married for 45 years and have lived on Valleywood Drive for 40 years. They have two sons and two grandsons. Bobbie is retired and spent her last 17 years of her career at Houston High School. They are members of Collierville United Methodist Church. Ron has been involved with Boy Scouts even when his sons grew out of the organization. Ron and Bobbie enjoy the unity and love of the Collierville community. "People work and strive to keep Collierville a great place to live and raise a family. We raise our kids together, and Collierville was and is a place for us to accomplish that family dream,” he says. "The VFW has also now become a place of community where the people are like family."