Independence Day is a day for celebrating and commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Paul Greer, Commander, American Legion Post 145 and retired 1st Sgt. in the United States Army believes that the 4th of July should be a day for all Americans to come together.
“The 4th of July, Independence Day, is just what it says. A celebration of freedom from all oppression,” Greer said. “This is a day for all of us to rejoice our freedoms, past, present and future.”
Greer joined the Army in March 1960. Having lost his parents at a young age, he was living with family members.
“It was time to make a change," he said. "I joined the Army; I liked it, and I made a career out of it.”
While in the Army, Greer spent many Independence Days away from home and in foreign countries including Germany, Korea and Vietnam.
There wasn’t much celebrating going on on the 4th he spent in Vietnam, he said.
“The 4th is different when you are abroad, to say the least," he continued. "You and your fellow Americans would get together, but the locals where we were at the time didn’t understand it. It was definitely different.”
Greer now spends the 4th with family, traveling back to his hometown of Hallsville, Texas for a family reunion each year.
“I have six living brothers, and we all try to get together each year to see one another.  They are getting old,” said Greer. As the next to youngest of his brood, he is also getting older, he admitted.
While Greer is back at his old home place, his family will visit the cemetery and have a family gathering.
“This tradition began years ago, and I missed many of them while I was in the Army. But now that I am retired, I attend every one of them.”
Greer retired from the Army in Sept. 1980, but hasn’t forgotten what it means to serve his country.
Extremely active in the American Legion, Greer is a past state commander and continues to work to better the lives of veterans.
“It is a joy for me to keep serving. In the past 20 years I have been heavily involved in the Legion,” Greer said.
Greer played a big role in opening the Veteran’s Memorial Plaza in Leesville's Downtown Historic District, working on that project for more than seven years.
Now, residents and visitors alike can tour the plaza and view the names of veterans from Vernon Parish and beyond who are listed on monuments. The plaza continues to grow and is tangible evidence that Vernon Parish and its residents value their veterans and the sacrifices they made to ensure the freedoms of all Americans.
Greer is but one American veteran that spent many years away on the 4th so that his fellow Americans could continue to celebrate Independence Day.