MONROE - Navy veteran Alvin Riese, Monroe, was getting ready to attend the Monroe High School Vocal Music Department presentation of "A Tribute to America and to Our Veterans" Thursday, November 7, at the Performing Arts Center.
The 91-year-old dressed in his Veterans of Foreign Wars Color Guard attire.
Celebrating Veterans Day in honor of those who have served in all branches of the military "is not just for the old ones," Riese said. "It's for the younger ones too."
Riese is observing Veterans Day, Nov. 11, more now than he did in his younger years, since coming back from WWII in January 1946 and becoming a cheesemaker.
"It used to be called Armistice Day," he said, "and then, after World War II, they changed it to Veterans Day.
"Way back, we used to work on those days, like making cheese," he laughed. "Now they get Sundays off, but we didn't."
This Monday, for his second year in a row, Riese will be accompanying Anna Miller of Albany, and together they will spend the day visiting veterans in local nursing homes.
"(It's) to cheer up veterans that are there," Riese said. "Some are in pretty rough shape that we see."
Riese has been a member of the VFW Cecil Jones Post 2312 in Monroe and a member of its Honor Guard presenting at funerals for more than 60 years, he said.
He has also been with the VFW Color Guard for about 50 years. The guard marches in Monroe's Memorial Day Parade from Recreation Park to Greenwood Cemetery, before the members "pile into cars and go to Juda" to perform the same duties there, he added.
Riese was one of the cooks at the VFW Friday Night Fish Fries for many years, as well as serving as Post Commander and many other unit positions.
In recognition of his willingness to work hard and his outstanding service to the VFW and its programs, Riese bears the patch of The Military Order of the Cootie (MOC), the honor degree of the VFW. The Cooties have provided social and entertainment programs to members of the VFW of the U.S. as an Ancillary unit within the organization since 1923.
Riese's military and post-military experiences began when he "volunteered for the draft" in 1942.
"I got to go into the Navy, which is what I wanted," he added. "I didn't want to dig fox holes."
He served on the deck force on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans during WWII, crossing the Atlantic three times in Operation Magic Carpet, the U.S. post-war effort to bring back more than eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific and Asian theaters.
On one of those trips in 1945, "just before Christmas," Riese said, a small, violent typhoon blew in and giant waves tossed the ship mercilessly. Riese said he doesn't remember what he held on to, to prevent falling overboard, but he survived the ordeal.
After the service, Riese stayed in touch with Louis Ostdyke, another Monroe man who served for a while on the same ship as he did.
When he injured his back in the mid-1950s, Riese couldn't continue as a cheesemaker "turning those big Swiss cheese wheels," he said. So he moved to automotive service with his own service station, and later worked in automotive parts. He also worked at Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association, until quitting at age 82.
He found Dorothy, and they married in 1968.
Riese and Walt Marty are now the last two men of a "Last Man Standing" club, formed by 12 veterans in the 1970s. Their meeting plans for this year are no different than in the past.
"We always got together around Veterans Day, and go out and eat," Riese said.
The 91-year-old dressed in his Veterans of Foreign Wars Color Guard attire.
Celebrating Veterans Day in honor of those who have served in all branches of the military "is not just for the old ones," Riese said. "It's for the younger ones too."
Riese is observing Veterans Day, Nov. 11, more now than he did in his younger years, since coming back from WWII in January 1946 and becoming a cheesemaker.
"It used to be called Armistice Day," he said, "and then, after World War II, they changed it to Veterans Day.
"Way back, we used to work on those days, like making cheese," he laughed. "Now they get Sundays off, but we didn't."
This Monday, for his second year in a row, Riese will be accompanying Anna Miller of Albany, and together they will spend the day visiting veterans in local nursing homes.
"(It's) to cheer up veterans that are there," Riese said. "Some are in pretty rough shape that we see."
Riese has been a member of the VFW Cecil Jones Post 2312 in Monroe and a member of its Honor Guard presenting at funerals for more than 60 years, he said.
He has also been with the VFW Color Guard for about 50 years. The guard marches in Monroe's Memorial Day Parade from Recreation Park to Greenwood Cemetery, before the members "pile into cars and go to Juda" to perform the same duties there, he added.
Riese was one of the cooks at the VFW Friday Night Fish Fries for many years, as well as serving as Post Commander and many other unit positions.
In recognition of his willingness to work hard and his outstanding service to the VFW and its programs, Riese bears the patch of The Military Order of the Cootie (MOC), the honor degree of the VFW. The Cooties have provided social and entertainment programs to members of the VFW of the U.S. as an Ancillary unit within the organization since 1923.
Riese's military and post-military experiences began when he "volunteered for the draft" in 1942.
"I got to go into the Navy, which is what I wanted," he added. "I didn't want to dig fox holes."
He served on the deck force on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans during WWII, crossing the Atlantic three times in Operation Magic Carpet, the U.S. post-war effort to bring back more than eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific and Asian theaters.
On one of those trips in 1945, "just before Christmas," Riese said, a small, violent typhoon blew in and giant waves tossed the ship mercilessly. Riese said he doesn't remember what he held on to, to prevent falling overboard, but he survived the ordeal.
After the service, Riese stayed in touch with Louis Ostdyke, another Monroe man who served for a while on the same ship as he did.
When he injured his back in the mid-1950s, Riese couldn't continue as a cheesemaker "turning those big Swiss cheese wheels," he said. So he moved to automotive service with his own service station, and later worked in automotive parts. He also worked at Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association, until quitting at age 82.
He found Dorothy, and they married in 1968.
Riese and Walt Marty are now the last two men of a "Last Man Standing" club, formed by 12 veterans in the 1970s. Their meeting plans for this year are no different than in the past.
"We always got together around Veterans Day, and go out and eat," Riese said.