Operation Firm Handshake honors veterans with annual picnic in Lost Creek

Yahoo

18-05-2025

Buckhannon's 83rd Strawberry Festival honors first responders
LOST CREEK, W.Va. (WBOY) — Veterans from across the Mountain State were honored on Saturday as Operation Firm Handshake hosted its annual picnic in downtown Lost Creek.
Held at the Lost Creek Community Center, more than 400 attendees participated in the celebration. The annual picnic serves as a meaningful tribute to the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces.
'We honored Ron McVaney and Robert Throckmorton. They were our Honorary Grand Marshals, they passed last year. And our Grand Marshal was Richard McLain, he's also a member of our organization,' President and Director of Operation Firm Handshake Martin Broderick said.
Buckhannon's 83rd Strawberry Festival honors first responders
The annual picnic is a cornerstone event for Operation Firm Handshake, an organization dedicated to recognizing and supporting veterans through meaningful outreach and community engagement. It provides both an opportunity for public acknowledgment of veterans' sacrifices, as well as a space for connection, camaraderie, and celebration.
'It started out as a day of recognition, just honoring, feeding, and reuniting veterans, and then we got into, about four years ago, helping veterans, the homeless, combat wounded veterans who haven't been given a claim yet from the VA,' Broderic said. 'We aid in and assist veterans in distress.'
On Memorial Day on May 26, Operation Firm Handshake will host the Float on the Fork event serving beverages, and on Saturday, Sept. 27, it will be holding a poker run.
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