It is a special breakfast that's possible year after year due to the generosity of a special couple. I was invited to surprise them with a People Taking Action award in an email from Ed Fancher, a Vietnam War veteran.
"For more than a decade POW's from WWII have met at Bunny's Restaurant in Suffolk. For all those years William and Sarah Blair have graciously paid for the breakfasts of all who come."
While it started out as a monthly breakfast of local prisoners of war, it has now become a gathering of all veterans and some active duty military.
World War II vet Lawrence Davenport is grateful for the fellowship. "This is the best thing that's happened to me!"
Those currently serving love it, too. Colonel Hector Cruz, who stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton says there's so much to learn from these veterans. "They're just fabulous; their stories are amazing. You know we call them the greatest generation and there's a great reason why. I mean they inspire me; it's part of the reason I joined the air force myself."
For the longest, the staff at Bunny's was under orders not to reveal who was picking up the tab. Navy veteran Donna House, who has attended for years, was determined to find out and says one day, some of the veterans approached someone who wasn't their regular waitress for this breakfast. "And we asked her and she didn't know it was a secret and told us, so then we started hunting him down."
And now that the secret's been out, we wanted to present the Blairs with a Newschannel 3 People Taking Action award along with a $100 Visa gift card from our community sponsors Southern Bank. The Blairs say this is their way of thanking our military and showing support. I asked if they have any idea how much money they've spent over the years, they laughed responding, "We don't keep track of it. We don't keep any records, we don't care to. It's not a thing of money. We've gotten the rewards of the friendship of these folks we would've never met."
