A veteran and lifelong advocate for other servicemen and women was remembered Wednesday on the House floor by North Carolina Rep. Robert Pittenger.
Garland Denny of Monroe, N.C., who served during the Korean war aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, died at the age of 84 earlier this month, leaving behind a tireless legacy of getting help for veterans.
His two sons, who attended the speech, were given an American flag that was once flown over the U.S. Capitol and a letter of condolence from the White House.
“My father worked very hard to help vets in America, and one of his dreams was that when he left this country, he left it in a better place,” his son Chuck Denny said in an interview Wednesday. “I’m honored to be his son. We’re going to push to see how we can continue his dream.”
We’re going to push to see how we can continue his dream.
Chuck Denny, son of veteran and advocate Garland Denny
Chuck Denny said he and his brother, James Denny, will further their father’s passion by working with his foundation, The American Veteran Foundation, lobbying Congress for veterans care, and working with the Postal Service to create a commemorative stamp.
The stamp, a project Garland Denny started in order to raise money for post-traumatic stress disorder research and treatment, is endorsed by 55 members of the House and Senate. They wrote a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General asking for the creation of a “Stamp Out PTSD” semi-postal stamp.
“I’m passionate because he was passionate in all of his adult life to serve the veterans, particularly those with PTSD,” said Pittenger. Given the enormous problem with servicemen and women with PTSD, Pittenger said he is hopeful that the stamp would be something Americans would buy and support.
Even while grieving their father, the brothers helped an amputee veteran turn on the electricity in his home through the foundation, which awards grants and support to veterans in need.
“We’re still working hard, even though we’re having to grieve that he’s gone, to make sure his dream goes on,” Chuck Denny said.