COURIER POST – Sept 17, 2012 – While the Yellow Ribbon Club has stopped welcoming troops home, another organization is carrying out the mission.

Yellow Ribbon Club founder and president Leslie Drummond of Evesham decided to disband the nonprofit organization that she created seven years ago during her son’s Army deployment to Iraq.

Homecoming celebrations will continue under a new organization started by volunteers who were part of the Yellow Ribbon Club.

The new organization is called Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey and is run by Marlton resident David Silver, who was a volunteer for Drummond.

“David was a good volunteer and it is wonderful that another group wants to continue, because it makes it easier on me,” Drummond said.

Drummond said it was not an easy decision to end the club.

She said she had to make a personal decision in her life because her career as a nurse has taken a turn since she became director of an assisted living center and Alzheimer’s unit and that seven years of commitment to Yellow Ribbon was a long time.

“Seven years ago when my son Michael was in Iraq, I was alone and there needed to be awareness that there were troops in harm’s way. We needed to support them regardless of our political views,” said the 48-year-old mother, whose son served with the 101st Airborne Division.

“Now there is awareness and so many beautiful groups participating that it came time to hand over the reins to other folk who are perfectly capable and willing to carry the torch.”

Since 2005 the club staged more than 300 welcome home celebrations for returning South Jersey war veterans with motorcycle and police escorts, firemen and their trucks, government officials and the hanging of U.S. flags.

”That’s an average of about one a week,” she said.

Drummond said she is very grateful for the supporting groups that include the Warriors Watch and Nam Knights motorcyclists.

Naomi Behar of Cherry Hill, one of her club volunteers and the mother of a soldier who had one of the welcome home celebrations, praised Drummond and husband Michael for their dedication in making soldiers feel appreciated.

“The club has been like family. They pulled me through such a hard time and were a support system for my family even before my son’s homecoming when I started to volunteer,” she said.

“I am very sorry to see it disband, but I understand. Seven years was a long time and they put so much of their lives on hold for all of our men and women.”

She hopes the operation will be continuing with the new group and that she plans to remain active with it.

Her son, Avi Behar, who is about to be promoted to Army captain at Fort Carson, Colo., had his yellow ribbon homecoming in August 2011 after a tour in Afghanistan.

“Soldiers sometimes are unappreciated, but I felt like a rock star … and more important than the President,” he said of his memorable Yellow Ribbon escort home from Philadelphia International Airport to the arrival at his home after serving with the 183rd Maintenance Co. of the 43rd Sustainment Brigade. “People were shaking my hand and applauding. It made you feel good about what you accomplished.”

The father of homecoming recipient Lt. Adam Slepian of Evesham said it is sad to see the original club close, but the mission will continue even without the Drummonds at the helm. The club staged a homecoming for the lieutenant six years ago.

“I went to a homecoming with the new group last Saturday. It went very well because we just followed the well-established guidelines of the Yellow Ribbon Club,” said volunteer Michael Slepian.

Drummond said she is using the remaining club money to buy items from two of its main sponsors — Superfresh of Marlton and the Ravitz-operated Shop-Rites — to ship to troops in Afghanistan. She said $5,900 worth of sleeping mats, baby wipes, foot powder, Tastykakes, fruit cups, potato chips, jerky and other items recently are being sent.

She said funds that remained after Sept. 1 were not transferred to the new yellow ribbon club because while Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey just took over homecomings, it is still organizing and has not yet formed a nonprofit organization to which funds can be donated.

Silver said the new yellow ribbon organization is not ready to file for nonprofit status because it is still “getting its toes wet and trying to figure out what we want it to be.”

“We love showing support for our local veterans and families,” said Silver, a business analyst.

“This is the way I serve my country and pay back those who ensure our freedom because I did not serve in the military.

Its first welcome home was Saturday for 29-year-old Specialist (E-4) Lishah Kemble of Shamong, an Army medic and a 2001 Overbrook High School graduate.

Lishah’s mother, Dienna Smith, said her daughter was overcome with joy at the wonderful reception she received. She was escorted from her home to a party at her grandmother’s in Southampton. Motorcyclists and other volunteers hugged and thanked her, the Southampton mayor came, and a huge American flag and a larger-than-life picture of Kemble were displayed.

“I am telling you, I did not expect what they did. It was phenomenal. Everyone in these groups, past and present, are wonderful and I am thinking about volunteering to help out,” Smith said.