When a veteran passes away in Southwest Ohio communities, a small group of men faithfully shows up. They arrive not for recognition, but for responsibility. Not for applause, but for honor.
This April, the Southwest Ohio VFW Memorial Team marks 60 years of standing in that sacred space—honoring veterans with a final salute. In 2025 alone, this all-volunteer team provided military honors to over 200 local veterans, more than any similar team in the country.
“We are stewards of a legacy,” says Chaplain Randy Fannin, retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and commander of the VFW Memorial Team. “The men and women who served on this team in years gone by gave as much of themselves during their season of service as those of us currently serving.”
For Randy, who has lived in Deerfield Township with his wife Karen for the past 37 years, service has defined much of his life. A Cincinnati native, he served four years of active duty in the Air Force and nearly 18 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a colonel.
Five years ago, shortly after retiring from the Army, he attended the funeral of his son-in-law’s father, an Army veteran. He assisted with the military honors that day.
“They were not very professional,” Randy admits. “I determined that in my retirement, I wanted to join a team in the hope of providing a better experience for families.”
A local funeral director recommended the Southwest Ohio VFW Memorial Team. “Little did I know, they were one of the area’s most in-demand teams, and there’s a reason for that,” he explains. “We strive for excellence, which is what our comrades deserve.”
Excellence looks like precision and preparation. Before each service, the team reads the veteran’s obituary and makes time to meet briefly with immediate family members. Every ceremony is approached as its own.
The formal tribute lasts about 12 to 13 minutes. Uniformed veterans fold and present the U.S. flag, offer a certificate of remembrance and flowers, present a burial medallion and small flag, place freshly fired spent shell casings in a keepsake pouch and sound taps.
For many families, that ceremony becomes a lasting memory of gratitude and connection. One family member shares, “I wish to express our deepest thanks and gratitude for the honors the VFW Memorial Team members provided for our father. It was above and beyond our expectations, and we were moved to tears by the entire service.”
The ceremony is also often a bridge to a chapter of life that families may not have known much about.
“Our honors ceremony facilitates a connection for families to their loved one’s military service, often a time before marriage or children, a part of their story that shaped everything that followed," Randy notes.
For VFW Memorial Team member and Deerfield resident Leonard Ardizzone, that connection is personal. Now 80 years old, the retired Air Force staff sergeant served from 1966 to 1970 during the Vietnam War. He joined the memorial team a little over a year ago.
“I wanted to do something for the vets while I still have some energy,” the retired engineer tells us. “As I started to do the memorials, I realized just how important this is for the families. I feel like my time is being used in a good way.”
The team—about 20 veterans strong—shares deep camaraderie. They joke about which military branch is best. They support each other through illnesses, surgeries and personal loss. They show up for one another just as faithfully as they show up for veterans’ families.
Each service requires three to four hours of volunteer time. The team does not charge for its services, though donations help cover uniforms, equipment and other practical needs. No one receives compensation.
“We invest by donating our time,” Randy shares, “to highlight the contributions of people we probably did not know and to comfort family members who will mirror the experiences of our own families someday.”
As Memorial Day approaches, the Southwest Ohio VFW Memorial Team hopes the community, and veterans in particular, will join them in celebrating their 60-year milestone and consider supporting the mission, whether through volunteering or donations. Because when a veteran’s march is over, these men believe it should end the same way it was lived: with dignity, gratitude and honor.
SWOhioVFWMemorialTeam.org | 513.578.1362