American Legion Post 153 members Paksi and Root helped man the C.A.R.E booth at the DeWitt Rest Area over the Independence Day holiday weekend.
Every year since it opened, the local Veterans group has staffed the DeWitt Rest Area on Southbound US-127 providing free coffee, iced tea, ice water, lemonade, donuts, and good conversation to travelers who visited the rest stop from Friday afternoon through Monday evening during the recent Independence Day weekend.
Here are a few of the local businesses who supported their efforts this year.
 Biggby’s |  Big Boy |
 Burger King |  Wendy’s |
Post 153 has been serving motorists for over 20 years. Prior to the construction of the DeWitt Rest Area the post served at the Ithaca Rest Area on Northbound US-127. This year service clubs participated at eighteen of Michigan’s 81 rest areas helping motorists to arrive safely at their destinations.
Their volunteer effort during the three traditional summer holiday weekends – Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day- is part of the Michigan State Police’s Operation C.A.R.E.-Combined Accident Reduction Effort.
This year Operation C.A.R.E. entered its 34thyear of operation. It began in 1977 as a collaborative effort between the Michigan State Police and Indiana State Police, and is one of the nation’s longest-running traffic safety initiatives. Today it includes state and highway patrol agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Quebec Police Force, and the Virgin Islands.
This makes it one of the longest running traffic safety initiatives in our nation’s history. Operation C.A.R.E. was formed to deter the three key causes of highway fatalities: speeding, impaired driving, and failure to use occupant restraints. The rest stop operations are an effort to prevent the fatigue that is a factor in impaired driving.
The American Legion is comprised of wartime veterans of America’s Armed Forces. The pillars of the organization are Americanism, Children and Youth, National Security and Foreign Relations, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, and Community Service.
Post 153 is thriving with 300 plus members and an active Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion units. Each year they give approximately 1,709 hours of service to the community. Their website is www.americanlegion153.com