VFW Post 12146 members honored the memory of five of their own with a ceremony at the River Chill Restaurant in Payoon Beach, Banchang, Thailand, for Memorial Day.
VFW Post 12146 presents the daughter of a member who passed several years ago with a laptop and backpack for her upcoming collegiate career during a Memorial Day ceremony on May 26 at the River Chill Restaurant in Payoon Beach, Banchang, Thailand. Photo courtesy of Terrance Hebron.With more than 90 guests in attendance, the ceremony also included playing the American and Thai national anthems, followed by dignitaries and others who spoke on behalf of the five VFW members and the meaning of Memorial Day.
“It is important to honor those who went to foreign lands to serve our country honorably and continued to serve and assist veterans while they were members of the VFW,” VFW Post 12146 Commander Terrance Hebron said. “We want their family and friends to know they are not forgotten by the Post and dearly missed.”
During the ceremony’s processions, the Post organizers also recognized eight active-duty Navy soldiers in attendance and presented a laptop and backpack to the daughter of a Post member who passed away several years ago.
“She recently graduated from high school here in Thailand,” Hebron said. “We wanted to gift her these items to help as she attends one of the most prestigious universities here in Bangkok in the coming months.”
The event concluded with the Post’s Honor Guard ringing the ‘honor bell’ for each of its five VFW members who passed this past year, which included life members Tom Sullivan, Larry Walker, Michael Dyer, Donald Delomba and Shane Curtis, respectively.
A hub for veterans across Thailand, VFW Post 12146 hosts annual commemorative events throughout the year, including 9/11 Remembrance Day, POW/MIA Day, Veterans Day, and Independence Day.
This article is featured in the 2025 June issue of Checkpoint. If you're a VFW member and don't currently receive the VFW Checkpoint, please contact VFW magazine at magazine@vfw.org.