Salute to Service: Veterans share stories at Central Library
Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 9, 2019
- Pictured from left to right are Mitchell Efler, Rose Efler, Julie Brady and James Brady .
LAPLACE — A powerful camaraderie exists between Veterans from all walks of life who are bonded by shared experiences, according to Kevin Travis.
Today, Travis works in the St. John the Baptist Parish Library System. Before joining the library team, he spent eight years as an Air Force medic. Those experiences taught him the value of showing appreciation to his fellow Veterans.
Four local Veterans joined Travis Wednesday evening for a “Salute to Service” at the Central Branch. Each Veteran shared incredible stories of service.
“I wanted to enlighten everybody with a feel-good moment and let them know we appreciate what they’ve done,” Travis said. “Being a Veteran myself, I hope to make it a bigger event every year.”
Rose Efler shared that she was a member of WAC, short for the Women’s Army Corps. In 1944, she joined WAC alongside her mother, Corinne Borne. At the time, she was 20, the minimum age to join, and her mother was 50, the maximum age to join.
Former Air Force medic and current St. John Library employee Kevin Travis
WAC was disbanded in 1978, when all units were integrated with male units.
Efler’s son, Mitchel Efler, was also in attendance at Wednesday’s Salute to Service. He shared the story of how he attained the high rank of master sergeant in the U.S. Armed Forces during his decades of service.
Married couple James and Julie Brady shared that they were visiting France on vacation when they stumbled across a surprising gravesite. It was the final resting place of James Brady’s uncle and godfather, who had been reported missing in action years before. He recalled his grandmother received a postcard to notify the family he was missing, and no one knew what had happened to him until the day the gravesite was discovered.
Travis talked about his experiences as an Air Force medic who also worked in medical logistics. Some of his responsibilities included making sure airmen had up-to-date shots and ensuring medical supplies were on cargo planes ready to be deployed.
Travis made the decision to join the Air Force when he was at a crossroads in his life, and the experience left him forever changed.
“I loved everything about it,” Travis said. “I loved the basic training and meeting people I would never have met on the street. That brotherhood and sisterhood is something you can always relate to. You make lifelong friends.”
