Everett Shaver said he originally wanted to join the Air Force to serve his country and “see the world.”

That was an understatement.

“I grew up in a small town in Upstate New York between Rochester and Buffalo,” Shaver said. Many people in his hometown went to work for Kodak. He chose the military, enlisting in 1981.

Shaver said, “Seeing the world became an understatement.”

Shaver was commissioned as an officer in 1989 and retired in 2009. Yet he continued to serve this country.

From Italy to Florida, he maintained his focus on his education, earning a college degree in computer science at night as an airman in the Air Force.

While enlisted, Everett Shaver held the position of air cargo specialist and a communications officer. He was then elevated to the rank of staff sergeant and became a second lieutenant.

Shaver, who now lives in Effort, said, “In 1990, I was at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. In 1995, I was at MacDill Air Force Base and in the U.S. Central Command during Desert Storm and Desert Strike. I was deployed from Scott Air Force Base in Illinois to Saudi Arabia, and I was there for quite a while, quite a long while.” Shaver said. He added, “My next stop was to Germany’s Spangdahlem Air Base,” which later brought him to the Pentagon.

At that time, Everett Shaver was a lieutenant colonel working at the Pentagon.

Shaver said regarding that, “At the Pentagon, I was in the National Military Command Center on operations and intelligence for four years, and later retired as a lieutenant colonel before moving here to Pennsylvania.”

Here in Pennsylvania, Shaver worked at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, serving our vets for 14 years as a federal contracting officer (construction, architect, engineering) because of his continuing education in the military, where he had earned a master’s degree in engineering during warfare (Shaver has two master’s degrees).

Currently, the post commander at the American Legion 927, Shaver said, “In 2010, the year that I had just gotten out of the military and directly before my job with the VA, I turned right around and stayed with the officers of the post here. I became the finance officer here and the director of the American Agent Riders for 14 years.”

Shaver is also on the Home Association Board.

Shaver said, “This auxiliary organizes events that allow us sit and talk with veterans and, sometimes, be right at their bedside to make sure they feel loved, welcome, and never forgotten.”

When asked about his plans and future outlook, Shaver said, “As it stands, I want to continue serving The American Legion 927, if not as the post commander this year, perhaps in some other capacity, as a treasurer, but I do intend on continuing as a board member of the Legion.

The Legion is a strong force for helping the community. From serving hot meals on Thanksgiving to Crisis Awareness, the Legion Post members continue to assist and serve the community and veterans in meaningful ways.

For more information on the American Legion Post 927, see www.ampost927.org.