When Char Riegel's veteran-supporting efforts were lauded last month at the state Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, the Coeur d'Alene woman was surprised.

"It sounded like it was somebody else. I didn't think I'd done all that," Char said of the accomplishments that saw her named Mrs. VFW at the event. "You never see yourself the way others see you."

It's good that others have been watching Char, who recently stepped down from president of the Ladies Auxiliary for the Coeur d'Alene VFW Post.

Because for 18 years, the retiree has been watching out for veterans.

The VFW's recognition of Char follows an ongoing train of dinners, fundraisers and activities Riegel has helped organize and support since joining auxiliary leadership in 1994.

Off the tops of their heads, fellow auxiliary members describe Char spearheading efforts to ship care packages and cookies to troops overseas, and arranging spaghetti feeds, food drives and silent auctions to support needy veterans and their families.

All that, on top of arranging numerous special events at the VFW post.

"If there's any function going on, she's there morning, noon and night," said Carolyn Meyer, auxiliary conductress. "She could single-handedly run the whole show."

In Riegel's time with the auxiliary, she has held positions like auxiliary president, auxiliary treasurer, auxiliary secretary, district president, and state treasurer and state president.

"She's pretty much run the whole gamut of positions you could have in the auxiliary," Meyer said.

Riegel doesn't like to dwell on her efforts.

She just started volunteering because she felt compelled to do more than trail after her husband, Don, as he climbed the ranks of VFW leadership.

"I was following all around to different places, and I was thinking, 'What am I doing here?' I didn't just want to sit in the back row and observe," she said with a chuckle.

And she hasn't.

Through the years, Char has helped string up lights for a giant veterans' Christmas tree, and raised donations to shelter veterans' families. For special events like raffles and anniversary dinners, the responsibility fell on her to ensure everything ran smoothly.

"It's quite a bit of responsibility to it, planning for events you're going to sponsor or take part in," she said.

Char simply does what's needed, she said.

"If you like volunteering and you feel like you've made a difference, you want to have that good feeling again," said Char, now auxiliary treasurer. "It's rewarding."

Her husband, Don, is also proud of his wife's endeavors.

It's a little hard to keep track of her work, he admitted, in the midst of his own.

Currently post quarter master, Don is at the post several hours a day, pursuing projects and hooking up veterans with proper agencies or other service officers.

He wants to give veterans a better shot than they experienced in the past, he said.

"When I came home years ago, (serving) was something we had to do and we did it, came home, rolled up our sleeves and went to work," said Don, who was stationed in Germany in the '50s when he served in the Air Force. "There was no pat on the back or thank you for being a vet."

Don couldn't count the hours he and Char spend volunteering, he said.

But they plan on continuing, he said.

"It's just an automatic part of our day. We just do it and don't think about it," he said. "It's just if something for the vets needs to be done and if we can do it, we sure will."