Jimmy, left, and Lucille Coulter walk beneath the raised swords of the Soddy-Daisy High School JROTC team to enter a lunch for military veterans Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Soddy-Daisy. The church offered free lunch to veterans to mark Veterans Day.Previous Veterans Day articles• Several area events scheduled to honor veterans• Tons of freebies for vets on Veterans Day
Veterans and their families gather to eat lunch offered for military veterans Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Soddy-Daisy.W.V. Roberson said he was told that people rarely say "thank you" to a veteran.
"I wanted to change that," he said. "So, I decided to serve them lunch."
Roberson, a veteran of the Korean War, decided five years ago to host a meal on Veterans Day to demonstrate his appreciation.
The first year Roberson hosted the lunch he said he had no idea how many people would come. He ended up feeding more than 300 veterans and their families at the First Baptist Church of Soddy-Daisy -- the church he has attended since 1948.
This Veterans Day, more than 400 people filed into the church's patriotically decorated gym for a hot meal and story swapping. A sea of round tables covered the gym floor, and a crowd of mostly elderly veterans sat exchanging stories and shaking hands, with full plates of food and Styrofoam cups of coffee in front of them.
Cooking 40 gallons of green beans and corn was just the start, said Linda Roberson, W.V.'s wife of 56 years.
"It took three vans to unload all the food to the church, and then we had to cook it all starting at 7:30 this morning," she said, shaking her head.
A group of ladies from the church made slaw and mashed potatoes with gravy -- they cooked more ham than Linda could keep track of -- and prepared 400 chicken breasts to feed the crowd.
A table overflowing with desserts was set up and volunteers walked plates of cake to veterans seated at the tables.
All of the food was contributed or purchased by donations from local businesses, according to Linda, and more than 30 volunteered to help this year.
Seton Tomyn, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Soddy-Daisy, said W.V. had a vision to serve the veterans across the city and the church has been honored to help him.
By noon the parking lot was filling up and golf carts transported people from their cars to the entrance of the gym, where Soddy-Daisy High School's ROTC stood in full uniform saluting and welcoming those who entered.
Hamilton County Judge Clarence Shattuck said he has seen this Veterans Day tradition bring war vets together unlike anything else.
"It's a tremendous honor to our veterans who have paid a huge price for us," Shattuck said.
Joe Shadwick, a Soddy Daisy resident and WWII veteran who fought in the South Pacific, said, "It's very nice to come eat and see my guys."
Shadwick, 88, recounted numerous war stories. People listened from across the table as he talked about Sept. 2, 1945, the day he took a master key from a Japanese prison after the war ended.
"We were there to free any prisoners who might remain," he said, " and I just picked up the key and put it in my pocket and took it home."
Shadwick spoke with excitement, and his sharp blue eyes grew big when he talked about all the friends he made at war.
"For the most part I enjoyed my time with the military," he said. "I met some of the best men."
Elaine McAfee attended the lunch with her husband who served in WWII.
"It's our third time coming to this lunch," she said. "It's good for him to come and see old friends ... There are not too many WWII vets left, and I am glad he can still come and tell his stories."
Kenneth Wileman served in Vietnam, and is a Soddy-Daisy resident. He was in Summerville, Ga., Tuesday morning, and said he made sure to leave by sunrise in order to get back in time for lunch.
"It does you good to be around fellow veterans," he said. "They know what you've been through."
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.