Hospice patient saluted on Veteran’s Day

PRATTVILLE – William Preston Reeves Sr. served in both the Army and Air Force, and on Tuesday, the Hospice patient was honored for his service with a salute.

Reeves, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s this year, served in the Korean War while in the Army, and at Maxwell Air Force Base when in the Air Force, and for the Veterans Day salute by Sgt. Joshua Palmer, the 79-year-old said: “It means an awful lot to have this and everybody else that is around. It’s more than I ever expected. Sure is.”

At his home on Tuesday morning, family gathered as Rachel Notareschi, a volunteer with Amedisys Hospice of Montgomery, started the small ceremony by reading a tribute to Reeves: When America had an urgent need, she read, the brave ones raised their hand. No hesitation held them back, they were proud to take a stand ...

After, when Reeves, who is a patient of Amedisys Hospice of Montgomery, was asked whether he had any stories to share from his service, he only said, “I made it home.”

Reeves served for three years and four days in the Army. During that time, he served in Korea for two years, five months and 12 days, he said, from 1952 to 1954. He then served for about two and a half years in the Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base.

He met his wife, Avis, on Aug. 13, 1954, and they married Aug. 20, 1954 — after seven days and three dates. They have been married for 60 years.

“I met him after he returned home,” Avis Reeves said of when William Reeves returned home from Korea. “It must have been the uniform.”

She said her husband does not talk about his time in Korea, or about anything in the military service.

Reeves, who was a paratrooper in the Army, said his favorite job in that branch was working in the “message center,” and that when he returned from Korea and worked at Maxwell, “I didn’t do much at all. That’s no joke. It was like vacation. After coming back from overseas and being at Maxwell, it was like paradise.”

Reeves has been a patient of Amedisys Hospice of Montgomery since May. Mary Rhoden, its volunteer coordinator, said the organization is always seeking ways to grow and be able to provide more services to their patients.

“Today ... we wanted to do something special for our veterans,” she said. “These are the kind of things we do through the volunteer program. It was such an honor to be here today with him and listen to his wonderful stories.”

Palmer, who serves in the Army National Guard with a unit in Anniston, and who is a firefighter from Ft. Rucker, said it did not matter that he had not meet Reevers prior to saluting him on Tuesday.

“This meant a lot to me to meet a veteran because I really appreciate the veterans before myself,” he said.

To volunteer

If you want to help volunteer through Amedisys Hospice, call 395-7789.

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