By Esteban Fernandez, Times West Virginian
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Valentine’s Day is typically reserved for couples, flowers and expensive dinners, however, Marcella Yaremchuk wants one group in particular to not be left out.
Yaremchuk and a few other women from the Valley Chapel United Methodist Church handed out candies to the 201st Field Artillery Regiment of the West Virginia National Guard on Friday.
“They have risked their lives, they’ve put their lives on the line,” Yaremchuk said. “These men, they are the oldest continuous unit of the military in the United States. For as long as there’s been a United States, since 1776, we have been protected by the army and by this unit of national guardsmen. We need to appreciate them and let them know we appreciate them.”
Yaremchuk said members of the National Guard don’t just serve overseas, they provide service to their communities right here at home by responding whenever there’s a flood or disaster of some kind. Even if Valentine’s Day doesn’t readily conjure images of service members in uniform, they shouldn’t be forgotten, Yaremchuk said.
“It’s a day of love and we need to show our love to all of them,” she said. “Men and women.”
The gesture is a yearly tradition for Yaremchuk and the other women from the Valley Chapel church.
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Keffer, training NCO for the 201st, said the gesture was appreciated.
