RUPERT, Idaho — In honor of Veterans Day, a Marine turned pastor is making sure the veterans in his neighborhood are thanked properly.
WATCH: Grace Church Pastor Travis Turner, a former Marine, hosts an annual chili feed to honor Mini-Cassia veterans and keep their stories alive.
At Grace Church in Rupert, Pastor Travis Turner is making sure no veteran goes without a firm handshake and a full belly of chili.
There are roughly 2,500 to 3,000 veterans in the Mini-Cassia area. For the last four years, Turner has made sure local veterans know they are not alone — with a simple veterans chili feed.
"It's weird, from day one you've got a battle buddy in the military and then when you get out you learn how to do life alone - so days like today its really support, getting back together and sharing stories and experiences," Turner said.
Having served in the Marine Corps from 1990 to 1994, Turner struggled to find his way after service — ending up in a Boise jail after a DUI with no direction. He turned to a higher power.
"I said a simple prayer, and the prayer was this; 'God if you're real, you can have my life, because I'm done with it'... and the wild thing - believe it or not - in a moment I went from being absolutely inebriated to being in my right mind - and that just began my journey," Turner said.
Beyond becoming a pastor of his own church, that journey also included remembering his time in the Corps.
He says the chili feed is his way of honoring his fellow brothers and sisters who also signed up.
"It doesn't matter what branch you picked - you served, it doesn't matter how long you served - you signed the dotted line... you became government property for a period of time - our great nation is great because of the men and women that said yes," Turner said.
One of those men is Mini-Cassia veteran Raymond W. McBride.
"I was a Cryptographic Technician with the brand-new Air Force Security Service," McBride said.
At 97 years old, McBride is one of the oldest living veterans in Idaho, joining up just three years after the end of World War II.
"I served from 1948 to 1952 - Berlin Airlift and Korea. - I signed for three, but the Korean War was not over, so they gave us one free of charge," McBride said.
For Turner, Veterans Day is all about honoring service members like McBride, keeping generations of stories alive and recognizing everyone who made the sacrifice of service for the nation.
"They were willing to pay that ultimate cost - they knew that it could end in them not returning home - that's worthy of recognition," Turner said.
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