Salute 2 Service Cuts Ribbon On Its New Home In Bucks County

NEWTOWN, PA — Salute 2 Service, a nonprofit dedicated to meeting the needs of Bucks County’s financially challenged, hungry and homeless veterans, celebrated its grand reopening on Saturday in Newtown.

“We are so honored to have everyone of you here with us today celebrating our newly-acquired home at Chandler Hall,” the organization’s executive director Rodney Wyatt told a gathering of dignitaries, politicians, volunteers and veterans. “It’s because of you, either by donation or kind words of encouragement, that we are inspired to move full speed ahead and continue our mission and that is leaving no veteran behind.”

Wyatt, a U.S. Armed Forces veteran, founded the organization in 2013 to provide veterans with resources and support, especially those who are homeless, in need of food and financial help.

“We’ve had a daunting task from the start for this mission, but it has not discouraged or deterred us from accomplishing our mission,” said Wyatt. “We’ve been helping a lot of people.

“But we still have 20,000 veterans dying every day. Why? We don’t know, but we can surmise … We have to do better. When one veteran suffers, we all suffer.

“It shouldn’t be this way,” he said. “It’s not going to be this way if I have anything to do with it.”

Since its founding in 2013, Salute 2 Service has assisted more than 10,000 veterans providing them with food, clothing, comfort items, financial assistance, temporary to permanent housing connections and many times just a listening ear, said Wyatt.

Wyatt thanked everyone for attending Saturday’s celebration, which began with speeches and a musical salute to the Armed Forces and concluded with a ribbon cutting and open house at its new headquarters.

“We’re going to make Bucks County the place where every veteran wants to live,” pledged Wyatt.

Among the dignitaries in attendance was Bucks County resident David A. Christian, the nation’s most decorated officer of the Vietnam War.

“We need to feed those who fought. We need to feed those who put on the uniform,” said Christian. “And I thank Rodney so much” for everything he does to help the veterans. “Never in our wildest dreams did we think that we’d be going along the Delaware Canal giving out food to veterans when it’s Code Blue. They are our brothers. They are our sisters and they deserve everything.”

Also addressing the gathering was U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.

“He gives up his time and his own resources to serve a gap that shouldn’t exists, but it does exist,” Fitzpatrick said of Rodney. “We live in a great country because of our veterans and yet their needs still aren’t being met. And Rodney, thank God for you. You’re a saint and an angel to so many in our community.”

Fitzpatrick presented Rodney with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Bucks County Commissioners Chairman Bob Harvie presented Wyatt with a letter of commendatikn while State Senator Steve Santarsiero and State Rep. Perry Warren presented him with a flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Valerie Mihalek, who sang the National Anthem at the opening of the celebration, told the gathering that so much of what Rodney has done for local veterans has come out of his own pocket.

“When he was cooking Thanksgiving dinners for veterans he was doing it out of his own home. He also drove out to the woods bringing food to veterans who are homeless, which is a problem nationwide. We are so grateful to have someone like Rodney who takes this seriously and is trying to do all that he can for those who have given so much.”

State Rep. Frank Farry began his day by leading the Jesse Soby American Legion Post 5K as chief of the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company. The 5K raised funds for three veterans organizations, including Salute 2 Service. He personally thanked Rodney and his team of volunteers for making sure “our veterans’ needs are met here in Bucks County.”

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub challenged everyone in the room “to take the energy and the vibe from this event and spread it out over the coming years. That’s really what matters. Previous speakers spoke about helping those unfortunate veterans who have lost their way or lost their direction and need a hand up or a meal or just something to drink. That is our honor. That’s how we can serve those who have served us.”

The event concluded with a ribbon cutting at Salute 2 Service’s new home on the Chandler Hall campus where Wyatt was joined by former Congressman and Vietnam War veteran Patrick Murphy and David Christian.

“This is a momentous occasion,” said Wyatt. “We came from a small building. It was like a closet. Thanks to Chandler Hall we have this facility now to operate out of. I’ve always had the motto, ‘We can do more with more.’ Now that we have more we’re going to do do more.

“But, as always, we need help from all of you,” he said. “We need help from the politicians. We need funding. We need major funding to keep this mission going. There are so many veterans out here who are suffering who shouldn’t be. We celebrate a lot of things - entertainers, athletes, politicians. The real heroes are the men and women who stood and raised their hand and made that oath. And these are the ones we need to continue to support.”