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Summary
From time to time, Maj. Gen. Garshak, commander of the Idaho National Guard, gathers together leadership team members and visits veterans living at the State of Idaho Veteran’s Home in Boise, Idaho. For an hour they have coffee and chat with the residents.
Sometimes he gives a briefing about the latest guard news, or passes out the latest Idaho National Guard magazine. Once he brought them all shoulder patches from the Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Combat Brigade Team. They all swap stories the way soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen have shared stories together for decades.
The Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise can accommodate approximately 150 men and women. They are from all branches of the Armed Forces. Each has a story to tell that are verbal time capsules of eras in American History. Some enlisted in search of adventure, others for opportunities and many heard a patriotic call to duty. They all share a common framework of experience in a unique niche that sometimes places young men and women in perilous situations, in far-away places.
The interviews and portraits of residents began in August. Some veterans could vividly recall details while others struggled to remember. Almost all cited their military time as formative moments in their lives. Each veteran spoke highly of their lives in the Idaho State Veteran’s Home in Boise –
“This place saved my life,” said one Veteran resident.
One regular member of the coffee group, Harley “Jim” McAllister, was the inspiration for this project. Originally from Shelby, Montana, McAllister was 18 when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps serving as a navigator on B-17’s during WW II. He was shot down, captured by Russians soldiers and held until his identity could be verified. After he was returned to U.S. Forces, he flew another 12 missions in World War II and more during the Korean War. Two weeks before the project began, McAllister passed away along with the memories and stories he might have shared. He was 95 years old.