Today, I salute Vietnam Veteran E. Paige Lanier. At 85, Lanier still works hard, volunteering and keeping history alive. He is a constant presence at the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery on Fort Carson, and he continues to proudly serve as a board member of the regiment’s association. He does much more than that. When troops were returning home from war in the Middle East, Lanier and a group of about 10 volunteers helped ensure they were greeted with pizza parties, challenge coins, and free rides home. He made sure those welcomes replaced divorce attorneys representing unhappy spouses and taxi drivers charging exorbitant fees. The volunteers essentially ran the lawyers off base, he recalled. Some Vietnam veterans were spat upon or had red substances thrown on them by protesters. While it never happened to Lanier personally, he said some of his friends faced the angry reception, and the group wanted to make sure returning soldiers never experienced anything similar. Thank you for volunteering E. Paige Lanier, and THANK YOU for your service.
