Lunch was served, along with a heaping help of appreciation, at the annual veterans luncheon Nov. 5 at Rachel’s Lakeside. 

The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Elderly and State Rep. Chris Markey, was open to veterans and their families.

“We appreciate everything you’ve done,’’ Markey said to the full house. 

He thanked the veterans for dedicating years of their youth to serving their country, when they could have been enjoying life and being carefree.

“You are the examples I look to’’ when making decisions at the State House, he said. “You are the people I want to be proud of me.’’

Veterans in the crowd said the lunch serves an important purpose.

“This provides us with a time to get together and renew our camaraderie and our connections ,’’ said Joseph Toomey Jr., commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9059, who served in Vietnam.

World War II veteran Francis Galvin Morey was the guest of honor in absentia. The 100-year-old veteran could not attend because of family health issues. 

His fellow World War II veteran Gerald Franklin, 94, was one of three World War II veterans in attendance.

“I think it’s marvelous,’’ he said of the event. “It brings back memories for us of what we did back then.’’

He deflects the title of hero. “The heroes are the ones that didn’t come back,’’ he said.

Events such as the lunch do “a lot,’’ said Dan Irwin, who served in Vietnam. “It’s appreciation for what veterans have done. We didn’t get it after Vietnam. We’re getting it now. People didn’t talk to us after Vietnam, they talk to us now.’’

Toomey said that he is seeing enlightened approaches to Vietnam veterans. “People understand that the soldier wasn’t the person at the top making the decisions,’’ he said. 

He said he and his fellow Vietnam veterans appreciate the new approach. “We don’t dwell on the past, we look to the future,’’ he said. 

The lunch provides a chance for older veterans to get out and to socialize, said Cathy Ormonde, chaplain of VFW Post 9059 Auxiliary. “This gets them energized,’’ she said. “They like to come out and see their friends.’’

VFW Post 9059 Auxiliary made a donation to the Friends of the Elderly to support their efforts.

Amid the spirited festivities, retired Dartmouth veterans agent Roy Oliveira shared some sobering statistics in his role as master of ceremonies.

The nation loses 250 World War II veterans a day, he said. 

He urged all surviving veterans to share their stories “so your legacy can live on.’’

“I know it can be hard to talk about it,’’ he said. “But it’s important that veterans share their stories.’’

In a voice choked with emotion, he shared two other numbers: Twenty veterans die by suicide every day. Thirty seven thousand veterans are homeless. 

These figures cannot be tolerated, he said.

Government needs to take action on all levels, from local to federal, he said. “Our veterans deserve more.’’