Members of the Chapter 4 branch of Rolling Thunder were out-and-about Thursday morning to pay homage to a certain group of veterans in Elizabethton.
Sycamore Springs Assisted Living hosted an event where motorcyclists, along with residents, celebrated Military Day at the facility.
Prior to the start of Thursday’s event, Bob Rambo, Chairman of the Board for Chapter 4, took a moment to recognize the various veterans at the home, including Martin Bennett (Army), Roy Bryant (Air Force), James County (Army), Shelia Davis (Air Force), Helen Fetzer (Army Corps), Robert Fry (Army Air Corp), Harold Hubbard (Army), Ray Jamison (Air Force), Wayne Lipp (Army), Herbert Ward (Army), Herbert Curde (Air Force) and Luther Collins (Army).
The ceremony also honored veterans that have been part of Sycamore Springs, including Charles Faust, Roy Merryman, James Wallace and Louise Fox.
Rambo, Wes Johnson and Brenda Kilbourn also provided a table ceremony.
A tradition by the group, the table ceremony is to honor prisoners of war.
Different items spread across the table to symbolize different intangibles for POWs, including a white tablecloth that symbolizes the purity of motives by soldiers, a red rose to remind individuals of the life of the missing, a slice of lemon as a reminder of the bitter fate of soldiers captured on a foreign land, a pinch of silt to symbolize tears, a bible to represent strength gained through faith, an inverted glass to showcase the inability of a POW to share a toast, and empty chairs … as the soldiers are missing.
Rolling Thunder members also provided a roll call for the missing soldiers before ending the ceremony with attendees at attention for the playing of taps.
Rambo concluded the event by providing thanks to the facility for the welcome and thanking each of the residents for their time. Joining Rambo, Rolling Thunder members went around the room to share a moment together.
Providing these types of events comes natural for Sycamore Springs, who, along with other assisted living centers, are taking part in National Assisted Living Week.
National Center For Assisted Living (NCAL) recognizes the week of Sept. 11-17 as a time to recognize the workers and residents of each home across the country.
The theme for this year’s weeklong event is “keep connected”.
According to the NCAL website, the theme “recognizes the increasing opportunity technology can offer to enhance the care and overall experience in assisted living communities.”
While discussing technology, NCAL also recognizes the theme as a way for individuals in an assisted living facility to form relationships with face-to-face interaction.
Sycamore Springs provided that tight-knit atmosphere all week, providing different events during the week. Along with Thursday’s military-theme, the facility offered residents different events with themed days, including the 1950s, “Hippe Day”, hispanic heritage and sports.