Beyond the Stars: Michelle Centerfitt, Service Advisor

It's common to hear daughters refer to their fathers as heroes. And there is no denying that Michelle Centerfitt's dad was a real-life hero. His Purple Heart is proof. 

Michelle is a service advisor at Four Star Freightliner's Albany, Ga. location. She spends her day communicating with truck customers about the status of maintenance and repairs. But her dedication and love for her father, Robert Dale Allen, led her to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post after work. 

"Our purpose is to help veterans, their families, and those still serving with things like food assistance or even home repairs," said Michelle. "And sometimes there are homebound veterans who just need someone to talk to."

Michelle added that her auxiliary in Cordele, Ga holds raffles to raise money to fund different programs. They even get students involved by sponsoring essay contests, one of which was a middle school competition about patriotism.

Michelle's father was a Vietnam veteran who served in the Army Corp of Engineers, 554th Engineer Battalion in 1970. She says he was injured in Vietnam when he drove over a landmine and was blown from the bull dozier he was driving. He was airlifted out of the jungle, but the helicopter was shot down and crash-landed. Another helicopter was sent to rescue him, and he was able to make it out alive. 

According to Michelle, her dad did not receive 100% disability from the Veterans Administration until the early 1990s. And the VFW tried to fill in the gap. Because of that experience, she decided to join the VFW and was recently elected senior vice president of her auxiliary.

Her father had PTSD, according to Michelle. She said he was paralyzed for a couple of years and struggled to learn how to walk. She said he later found out he had been exposed to Agent Orange; a dangerous herbicide mixture used during the Vietnam War. He developed congestive heart failure and was also diagnosed with leukemia. He passed away on May 15, 2011. 

"My dad was my hero," Michelle said. "He's been my motivator my whole life. When he died, I felt this would be the best way to honor him."

Michelle encourages anyone who has had a family member fight in a war to go to their local post and join a VFW auxiliary.

"It's not about us," she said. "It's about them and what they've done for us." 

You can visit vfw.org to find a VFW post near you.