Tags
Friends of the Soldiers Home solidified its partnership with Nam Knights Capital Chapter in a festive celebration with residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home-Washington on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Dozens of residents gathered for food, drink, music and joke telling in the large community room of the Scott Building on the AFRH-Washington campus.
Nam Knights brings in the drinks for the celebration and join FOSH volunteers in mingling and serving treats to the veterans. AFRH staffer Carol Mitchell leads the joke telling while AFRH resident Ray plays the tunes.
The monthly event, called Happy Hour, happens the last Tuesday evening of each month. If you would like to be part of the fun, write FOSH Volunteer Coordinator Lori Lincoln at volunteerfriendsofsoldiers(at)gmail(dot)com. This is an outstanding way to connect with many great men and women who served the country and now live in Washington, D.C.
Photos courtesy of Pete Rauner of the Nam Knights.
From L-R that’s Liz Cocke, Friends of the Soldiers Home VP; Pete Rauner, who leads Nam Knights Capital Chapter, and Carol Mitchell of AFRH.
Peter Rauner of Nam Knights with FOSH volunteer Stella Henderson, left, and Lori Lincoln, Friends of the Soldiers Home Volunteer Coordinator.
We had a great Happy Hour in late May, with residents, Friends of the Soldiers Home volunteers and Nam Nights. Several of us have been coming so long we’ve started sharing photos with the friends we’ve made at the Home. And who would have dreamed cutting a watermelon could be so much fun! We also had a wonderful time at Happy Hour in April, with family members visiting, young college students ready to dance and too much focus on the bad jokes and general hilarity going on. I
Everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly at Happy Hour this week. There was more conversation with residents, volunteers for Friends of the Soldiers Home, and telling of jokes. The better jokes came from the residents – not from the traditional emcee! It was wonderful to see so much conversation and enjoyment. Thank you to the FOSH volunteers who came out and to our good friends, the Nam Knights Capital Chapter. Come and join us at next month’s Happy Hour – the days will be getting longer and the laughter louder!
This has been a hot summer at the Soldiers’ Home! We’ve been inside every 
Spring is here! FOSH has had a busy March/April. Happy Hour featured a large group of Old Soldiers – men and women – and a great group of volunteers, many joining us for the first time. You can see from the smiles on people’s faces in the photos that everyone was enjoying their time together. We followed that with Saloon Night, which was a great success. Emcee Zach Hartman hosted a rousing game of Presidential Trivia. It was a tight race, but in the end, Team Aces High edged out its closest competitors for the win. New resident Jim had a great time playing on Team Politically (in)Correct and hopes to come to many FOSH events in the future. Then came Jingo, which was special this month because the family of resident Mr. Ferguson joined us. Volunteer Jackie repeated every question and answer for her resident partner so that he was able to play the game. Happy Hour, Saloon Night, Jingo — join us each month for these wonderful events by writing 
Happy Hour and Saloon Night are two great nights each month when Friends of the Soldiers Home “invades” our veteran residents with food, drink, fun and above all, companionship. At the recent Happy Hour, resident extraordinaire Ray returned to his duties as our DJ. We had a nice mix of older and younger residents. The Nam Nights always enter into a fascinating discussion with residents and this night was no exception. A handful of World War II veterans joined us! One week after Happy Hour, it was a Super Saloon Night in the Defender’s Inn as volunteers and residents mingled to the soothing saxophone sounds of Herb Spice and pianist Collin Chambers. A special guest appearance at the event by Washington Wizards cheerleaders certainly brightened everyone’s spirits with their cheer and good will. Regular Saloon Night attendees enjoyed the pizza and beverages. Remember, you can join us at these events! Write 
We had a wonderful time at our monthly Happy Hour with veterans of the Armed Forces Retirement Home-DC. Sure, we had the music and the quizzes and the jokes, but as you can see from the photos, we also had plenty of time for pleasant conversation. One volunteer who rides a Harley found himself talking to a WWII veteran who had also been a Harley rider! Another resident was fascinated to hear about the military service of a much younger veteran. And one volunteer brought his mother to assist, as she was in town. Everyone was delighted to serve drinks and pizza in between those visiting sessions. Come and join us for our next Happy Hour, Jan. 26! Write 
