RACINE — Tuesday's Veterans Day ceremony at Racine's Memorial Hall celebrated more than just military service. It also marked 100 years of community dedication by VFW Post 1391.
"The post itself means a lot to me," said Kyle Musurlian, an Army veteran who now serves as the post's commander.
His journey to the military and now to VFW Post 1391 began when he was young.
Watch: Racine veterans serve the community with stew feed on Veterans Day
"The first document I ever signed was at 16 and a half, but you can't leave until you're 17," he said.
Musurlian found himself in Afghanistan in 2012.
"Really intense. It wasn't exactly what I was thinking," he said of his deployment experience.
When he returned, Musurlian discovered a new way to serve through Air Force veteran Clair Breckenridge, who is currently the post's junior vice commander.
"I knew he was a part of something, because I always saw his hat," Musurlian said.
Musurlian had grown up near Breckenridge and his family. He said Breckenridge was another father figure in his life and someone who heavily influenced him.
Breckenridge saw potential in the young veteran when he returned from service.
"When he came back, I said, 'Well, you're eligible for the VFW. You oughtta join," Breckenridge said.
"And I said, "You know what, I'll take your recommendation, and I did," Musurlian said.
Musurlian saw it as a chance to help other veterans. He now sees it as a responsibility of the VFW post to "lead the charge when it comes to taking care of veterans and making sure that we're heard."
"We're actually having impact in our community," he said.
For Musurlian, leading the VFW post means understanding what fellow veterans truly need.
"Veterans know what veterans need most," he said.
For Breckendridge, its important that younger generations of veterans understand the importance of keeping the VFW active.
"It's another way of carrying the flag and keeping the traditions and the support to our veterans and community together," he said.
The VFW post works to support veterans both directly and by connecting them to services available in Racine County. The organization also serves as a keeper of history, both personal and shared.
The post started in 1925, as Memorial Hall was being built, adding a layer of significance to Tuesday's ceremony hosted in the 100-year-old building.
As Tuesday's event took place, veterans were also downstairs, preparing a stew feed for the community.
Breckenridge has been helping prepare the annual meal for more than 20 years.
"But from looking at historical documents that we still have, it looks like we may have been doing this for nearly 100 years too," Breckenridge said.
It's a meal that holds significance in the military.
"It would be the commanders and the commanding officers serving the troops," Breckenridge said. "And the troops would all eat before they would."
And the meal preparation itself offers yet another opportunity for these veterans to come together in service.
"The camaraderie is great," Breckenridge said. "It's a chance to sit back and work together, come together as an organization to help out."
For Musurlian, the meal is just one example of the ways VFW Post 1391 is impacting the Racine community.
"We're serving and giving this food to the community," Musurlian said. "You're doing something for a purpose that's not just yourself, and it goes beyond you."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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