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By air, by car, people turn out to support Gaston veterans

Gaston Gazette - 9/26/2020

Veterans were on the minds of many of those present for Saturday's Fly, Drive, Ride In fundraiser held at the Gastonia Municipal Airport.

Samantha Ward's son, Brent Morrison, is in his sixth year in the military. He's a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and is currently attending Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

She and her husband, Jerry "Buddy" Ward, Jr. said they took part in Saturday's fundraiser to support the military.

The Gastonia couple was seated in front of Buddy's 1949 Chevrolet truck that he had made in honor of his dad, Jerry Ward, who passed away in 2013 due to brain cancer.

Written on the sides of the doors were Jerry's Concrete in Belmont in memory of his dad's longtime business. There were light blue accents for the 1974 Chevrolet truck his dad drove. Also written on the side was the phone number BR-549, a salute to Junior Samples and his used car business skit from "Hee-Haw," which was a show the two enjoyed watching together.

An American flag and U.S. Navy flag stood high in the bed of the truck, waving in the breeze.

Both said the military has been good for their son.

"It turned him from a boy to a man pretty fast, and in a good way," Buddy said.

"It's definitely a sacrifice," Samantha said, "but I think it's been a good experience for him."

Saturday's fundraiser was held to benefit Camp Centurion, a group dedicated to providing supportive housing for veterans in need.

The nonprofit organization is hoping to raise $150,000 to complete the Gaston Barracks, a home located on Bess Town Road near Cherryville that will house 11 veterans at a time. The veterans will learn how to become re-acclimated to civilian life with assistance on how to get a job, further their education, manage their finances and find a home.

Bob Cavaniss served in the Marine Corps, the Army National Guard and is retired after 34 years with the Air National Guard. He is a member of the Marine Corps League that was selling food at Saturday's event.

Cavaniss, who lives in Shelby, was showing off his bright yellow 1946 Piper Cub to several onlookers Saturday. It is one of two planes owned by Cavaniss, who has been a pilot since 1964 when he was a helicopter crew chief in the Marine Corps.

"I just love flying," Cavaniss said.

He was helping children in and out of the cockpit Saturday, showing them the instrument panel and demonstrating how the stick controls the plane.

Gastonia residents Mandy and Chris Massey, whose parents are veterans, attended the event along with their three daughters, Harper, Ella Kate and Ashton. Chris works for the City of Gastonia in their maintenance garage and part of his job duties are to maintain the fuel farm and two fuel trucks at the airport.

"I'm amazed at the turnout," Mandy said. "We're all for anything to support our veterans."

You can reach Michael Banks at 704-869-1842, email mbanks@gastongazette.com and follow on Twitter @MichaelBanksNC.

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(c)2020 Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, N.C.

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