An important mission was accomplished with a flourish on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, when a festive ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of a newly constructed elevator lift at Merrimack’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8641.

The new lift, housed in a tall, narrow structure swathed in grey, vinyl-simulated shingle siding, adjoins the main building. The cost was estimated by project organizers at about $50,000. Many generous contributions in donated labor and materials, along with another $30,000 secured from various fundraising activities enabled its completion.

The three-stop platform lift will give those with limited mobility full access to the lower, main and upper levels of the VFW, a post that marked its 50-year anniversary in October. The site provides an oasis of brotherhood to more than 200 members and associates. It also offers a spacious, second-floor function hall available to the public for an array of special events.

Those who have patronized the function hall include Boy Scouts attending troop meetings, senior citizens participating in cribbage clubs, karate students attending training classes and charitable organizations conducting fundraisers. Abundant are the graduation parties, funeral receptions and birthday parties hosted there by local families.

The opening of the elevator lift at the VFW was the highlight of Veterans Day for many of the members and friends who rejoiced that a prolonged “Give a Vet a Lift” campaign, could at last be deemed a job well done. Nevertheless, an appreciation dinner held at the VFW in the evening extended the celebration by featuring cocktails and live music by The Miner Band – a Merrimack group of family musicians.

The “Give a Vet a Lift” campaign originated some two years ago with a group of people who founded Team D.A.V.E. (Disabled American Veterans Everywhere), a nonprofit organization populated by locals Susan Mead, Traci Doliber, John Garstang, Dave Merrill, Mike Morin and Mike Driscoll.

The Team D.A.V.E members soon realized their discussions were maturing into a solid plan to make the post fully handicapped accessible. The team proposed their idea to Commander Max Quayle, head of VFW Post 8641. His support was immediate and the membership at the post embraced the project.

Quayle, a Vietnam veteran, officiated at the ribbon cutting. He led a color guard toward the assembled spectators. There followed a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Melodious strains of “America the Beautiful” preceded his remarks and those of other special guests from Merrimack’s American Legion Post 98 and elsewhere.

Standing at attention around the perimeter was a contingent of patriotic motorcyclists – members of New Hampshire’s American Legion Riders, Chapter 15. The group’s men and women have been an integral part of the volunteer backbone responsible for the project’s success.

The riders watched proudly as Quayle launched the ribbon-cutting ceremony by giving a pair of oversized, silver scissors to veteran Robert Brundage, a Londonderry resident who spent 22 years in the Air Force and served in the Korean War and also in Vietnam.

Brundage, formerly a military communications specialist, moves around these days in a wheelchair. Nevertheless, his spirit is undiminished. He calls his wife Evelyn “my baby,” and waited until she made her way through the crowd before he continued with the task at hand. Quayle then stretched tight a portion of the lengthy ribbon and Brundage wielded the scissors, severing the yellow banner suspended across the walkway to the elevator. Snip-snip. It was an obstacle, no more.

Both men agreed the intense efforts of Team D.A.V.E. over the past two years and the contributions of hundreds are factors that brought the dream of providing elevator service from an ephemeral wish to a reality shared, appropriately, on Veterans Day.

“You don’t have to use the stairs again,” Quayle said to Brundage as the pair entered the elevator for a vertical maiden voyage. “The stairs are history.”

Brundage, one of several veterans attending the event who made their way with the help of walking sticks or wheelchairs, said the elevator will be a help to many among the VFW’s more than 200 members and also to other people from the community.

“I’m very proud to be here with the people who made all of this possible,” Brundage said. “This has been a dream for Max (Quale) and for all of us. And today means that dreams can come true.”

Paul Lloyd, a Navy veteran who is New Hampshire’s state VFW commander, watched the ribbon-cutting and echoed the sentiment. He said the building of the elevator lift was “great accomplishment” made possible by members of the VFW, the VFW’s Ladies Auxiliary, the men’s auxiliary and many other donors and individuals.

Susan Mead, one of the founding members of Team D.A.V.E., said seeing so many come forward to make the post accessible to disabled citizens, the elderly, those with a touch of arthritis, or any similar difficulty, was a heartwarming experience.

“We are truly grateful and hope everyone is aware of our deep gratitude for all they offered in making a vision a reality,” Mead said. “On behalf of Team D.A.V.E., thank you so much for this uplifting experience.”

For more information about the new elevator lift or about scheduling an activity at VFW Post 8641, at 282 Daniel Webster Highway, call 424-7719.