Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 had its 95th Anniversary Dinner on Feb 18. The keynote speaker was Larry Riley, publisher of The Coeur d’Alene Press.

Riley’s dynamic and interesting presentation about the complexities of running a newspaper captivated his listeners. Many people lose sight about the cost of gasoline and its impact on getting out the news. The topic of how the internet has changed the way individuals obtain their news in today’s climate of fake versus real news appealed to everyone. It was a highly informative talk peppered with humor. The audience was surprised when they learned about the amount of work, the miles driven and the cost involved in getting a newspaper delivered on a daily basis.

Bob Martin, post commander, presented Riley with a plaque from Post 889 to The Coeur d’Alene Press in appreciation for all its support over the last year.

Through its Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest, VFW nationally gives out more than $1 million in awards every year to middle school students in grades six, seven and eight.

The contest is a 300- to 400-word essay on a patriotic theme. This year’s theme was “The America I believe in.”

The local first-place winner, 13-year-old Maxwell Wilderson who attends Charter Academy, also went on to win third place at the state level in the highly competitive contest. The audience enjoyed hearing Maxwell read his award-winning essay.

Before dinner the Post performed a formal Missing Man Ceremony — a beautiful, emotional and heartfelt ceremony filled with symbolism that pays tribute to those who were/are Missing in Action or Prisoners of War and never returned home. Each element on the table, from the white tablecloth with empty chairs to the inverted wine glass, has special meaning regarding the loss of America’s missing veterans from all branches of our armed services. Patriotic music — from bagpipes performing “Amazing Grace” to Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA” — played in the background as Post member Ken Anderson described the symbolism of the ceremony.

Chris Chaffee from Lightbenders provided the photography. Steven King, International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion 1994 from Spokane, provided soothing guitar music throughout the social hour.

VFW Post No. 889 is a sponsor of Lightbenders photography which provides an eight-week course in photography specifically tailored for veterans who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder fulfilling our motto of “Veterans Helping Veterans.”

VFW Post 889 wishes to thank all who helped make their anniversary dinner special.