World War II veteran asks for letters on 99th birthday, and gets them

Mar. 2—GLENS FALLS — After nearly 80 years, World War II veterans are still receiving thanks for their sacrifices. Recently, local veteran Raymond Barber was honored with hundreds of birthday cards sent in from members of the community to celebrate his 99th birthday.

"I read every single one of them," Barber said.

The birthday letters were organized by Barber's Veterans of Foreign Wars post, post 6196, and Channel 13 News.

Mike Varmette, a veteran of the Marine Corps, is the commander of VFW Post 6196. During a fundraising event hosted by the VFW on Nov. 11, 2023, Varmette asked Barber what he wanted for his upcoming birthday.

"He goes, 'You know what I'd like I'd like to get birthday cards,'" Varmette said. "So, we put it out on our websites and on the internet and everything else, and people started sending him birthday cards."

Letters were sent in from veterans across military branches, relatives of veterans and politicians. Most of the letters though, were sent from students from school from Latham to northern Vermont.

In a letter to The Post Star, Barber says, "What humbles me most is that people were not just sending a card to 'Ray Barber' but were sending a gigantic 'thank you' to every veteran that has protected the light of liberty in America."

In his letter he highlighted that with a few statements he received that "filled me with joy," such as, "Because of you guys..." and "We are first generation Americans because of you."

Commander Varmette said Barber's view of the world helps with all the joy.

"A lot of times, veterans have a happiness about life," Varmette said. "He's one of the guys that looks for the positives... because you've seen so much of the negatives of the world and he's one of the ones that's gregarious and enjoys talking."

The letters may seem like just a nice gesture for the holidays to outsiders, but for veterans, it's so much more.

"If we don't take care of ourselves and our community, nobody really will. And that's... that's kind of a harsh thing to say in a lot of ways, but it's very true," Varmette said.

Barber served in the 294th Field Artillery Observation Battalion for three years as a private first class. But before that, as a kid, Barber delivered papers for The Post Star, and other local newspapers.

The full letter is attached with this story, as Barber wanted all veterans to be able to read it.

Andrew Valenza is a News Editor. Contact: 518-742-3245, avalenza@poststar.com.

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