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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. It was a great evening. See the photos from both events. Come and join us for the next Happy Hour on the evening of Tuesday, June 27 and let’s see if we make it to the rooftop – a great place to bring the residents, share a drink and enjoy a social evening! If you would like to participate, drop a line to volunteerfriendsofsoldiers(at)gmail(dot)com.
Story and photos by Liz Cocke.
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 
As you can see from these photos, we had a WILD and scary time at Happy Hour at the Soldiers Home last week. Who knows who was underneath that crazy witch costume! We played a fun game of poker, got a prize for guessing a weight of the pumpkins, told bad jokes, laughed at the volunteers’ outfits and enjoyed conversation with the Soldiers Home residents. Remember, Happy Hour happens the last Tuesday of each month. Come and join us Nov. 24 as we celebrate this beautiful autumn! Contact 
Heads up! Friends of the Soldiers Home will enjoy its annual Halloween Bash with Soldiers Home-DC residents at the next Happy Hour on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Volunteer in costume! Come on, you know how you like to dress up! We will have our annual Halloween poker game, and more! Write 
