Myra Miller
The 46th leg of Old Glory Relay runners stopped in Eunice Wednesday afternoon on the way to their final destination of Tampa, Florida, for a Veterans Day, Nov. 11, ceremony.
The run is a fundraiser for Team Red White Blue, a veteran’s outreach. Team RWB is a national non-profit with a mission of connecting veterans to their community through physical and social activity.
The relay runners ran from Ragley Wednesday and started on Sept. 11 from Seattle, Washington.
The runners entered Eunice and traveled on Laurel Avenue to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8971.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars and Eunice Rotary hosted a dinner for the RWB team, serving gumbo, potato salad and cake.
The runners were escorted by Eunice fire trucks, city marshal, police and sheriff’s units and continued outside the city limits eastward to the Eunice Manor. There they were greeted with residents outdoors with American flags in hand welcoming each one.
The team of 11 is from parts of North Louisiana, Shreveport-Bossier area, and a couple of them are from Iowa.
The team include Kim Shupe, team captain; Lanny Shupe, SSgt Air Force; Brad Hook, Darwin Hook, Rachel Upshaw, SSgt Air Force; Howard Suggs, MSgt Air Force; Jay Muller, Doug Kennedy, Lori Kennedy, Gregg McVay and Paul Barnaby.
A “three-some” of Manor residents, known as The Golden Girls were particularly excited with a hand shake from one runner, a firefighter, Jay Muller from Shreveport.
The Golden Girls are Mary Eason, Esther Salassi and Mary Lanthier.
The RWB team walked directly across from Eunice Manor and then were greeted by veterans young and older generation outdoors at the VFW Post 8971 Hall. The Eunice High School band played patriotic tunes of greeting. The RWB team runners shook hands with many Eunice citizens, veterans, as well as non veterans.
The RWB were welcomed inside the hall with greetings from Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot, Rotary Club President Robert Fontenot, VFW Commander Roger Veillon and Quartermaster Terry Matte, Alderman Marion “Nootsie” Sattler, and Police Chief Randy Fontenot.
During the course of the evening, Bill Parrie, a Eunice resident and retired customer framer, designer, craftsman, presented Ex-POW of World War II Harold Gournay, 98, of Eunice, a surprise item.
Parrie, added, “Little did you know Mr. Gournay I snuck into your home and grabbed all your war medals and had them framed, and I want to present this to you tonight.”
Jay Muller of Shreveport, dressed in full firefighter gear, was one of the runners. He is a firefighter of 20 years and a paramedic. He said it was his first time participating in the RWB team. Muller, added, “I have enjoyed running. I am honored to be among all of these fellow Americans. I love being a part, creating awareness and support for all our veterans, all our military, and first-responders.”
A married couple from Shreveport-Bossier, Lanny and Kimberly Shupe, were part of the team RWB. Lanny was on his first run, and Kimberly was making her second run. Shupe is in active duty at Air Force base stationed at Barksdale for the past 10 years. His wife, Kimberly, is a homemaker, and the couple are parents of a son, Nathan, 7, and a daughter, Makynna, 11.
The Shupes ate their gumbo evening meal side by side, and after taking his first bite of gumbo, he added, “It’s good.” Kim said about the gumbo, “It’s pretty good.”
Kim Shupe, team captain, said, “Thank you Eunice for taking the time to come visit us. The city of Eunice has been so incredibly supportive the past two years, and we cannot express our appreciation enough.”
The 47th leg of Old Glory Relay left Eunice early Thursday morning.
At the end of the its run the flag will have traveled 4,600 miles in two months time.