Two Oxford veterans received an early Christmas present from a group of local classic car enthusiasts.
The cruisers who gather every Thursday at The Burning Oak Smokehouse (595 N. Lapeer Rd.) in Oxford Township recently gave $300 each to a couple of veterans of the Vietnam and Iraq wars.
Cruiser Earl Caron said they’re free to use the money for whatever they need, be it paying bills or buying Christmas gifts for their loved ones.
‘A lot of us car guys are veterans,? he explained. ‘It’s nice that we can help out our fellow veterans.?
Caron wished to remind folks that not every war veteran comes home in one piece, physically or mentally, and not every veteran is fortunate enough to be financially secure.
The $600 donation came from the weekly 50/50 raffles the cruisers conducted over the summer. ‘We had people that would win and they would turn the money back in to us,? said cruiser Mike Bejma.
‘Because they knew it was going to the veterans,? added Caron.
The cruisers contacted the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to locate two Oxford veterans in need.
‘We wanted to keep it local as much as we could,? Bejma said.
‘It’s nice that we can do a little bit for them,? Caron said.
Both veterans aided by the cruisers suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder and the Vietnam veteran ‘can hardly walk,? according to Caron.
‘His knees are gone,? he said.
Helping Vietnam veterans is especially important to Bejma. ‘There were no celebrations when they came back,? he said. ‘We want to let them know they’re not forgotten.?