While veterans of World War II are dying at an alarming rate, a group of them in Carteret County is bucking that trend.

 

“They’re losing a thousand a day, but we picked up five. So we’re ahead of the ratio,” said Tommy Russell of new members in the ROMEO Club.

 

The Carteret ROMEOs, or Retired Old Men Eating Out, is a group of World War II veterans who meet the first Monday every other month at noon at the Sanitary Fish Market & Restaurant on the Morehead City waterfront for lunch and camaraderie. Membership, which carries no dues, is open to any veteran of the Second World War. While most of the ROMEOs come from Carteret County, the group draws Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen, coasties and mariners from Craven, Onslow and even New Hanover as well. Their next meeting will be in August.

 

“It’s amazing how they turn out,” said Russell, 85. “There’s more history here than in the Library of Congress.”

 

Russell and Ralph Thomas Sr. co-founded the ROMEOs after the former was taken to a meeting of a ROMEO Club in Texas. They thought a similar group just might catch on in Carteret County.

At the first meeting, said Russell, “We had 65.”

 

“You did not have 65,” Thomas interjected good-naturedly. He put the number at maybe half that.

 

Now, Thomas added, they average 125 to 150 at each meeting. Five new members joined them Monday, and he expects to see even more in August.

 

“We took the cue and started it, and we have just grown. And we’re still getting members right along,” said the 88-year-old Thomas, who as a soldier was in the leading battalion on Utah Beach at Normandy. “Sure it’s gonna grow. We might even need to get another place. The Sanitary may need to add another room.”

 

Russell works as the club’s recruiters, sending postcards to invite prospective members. And while dues in ROMEO have already been paid in service to the country, they did request donations — Russell capped the request at 50 cents each.

 

“That’s enough,” he said of the change they would use to purchase and send the group’s postcards.

 

Tex Cavett, 82, has attended most of the group’s meetings. He thinks he was at that first one, but he’s not positive.

He attended the most recent meeting, Cavett laughed, “because they asked me to.”

 

The retired Marine Corps 1st lieutenant manned the welcome table and gave each member of the Greatest Generation a nametag that included the person’s war service to wear during lunch.

 

Cavett, a pilot with the 1st Marine Air Wing who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, said he doesn’t talk much about his war experiences at the meetings “cause not many have the experience I have.” But he does enjoy hearing the speakers.

 

“A lot of times they have good speakers,” said Cavett, acknowledging that brevity improves a speaker in his esteem. “I don’t like long speakers.”

 

Jacksonville resident Ron Sortino was this meeting’s guest speaker. Sortino, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, had readied a patriotic presentation ending with a recitation of “Old Glory Speaks” on behalf of the Camp Lejeune Department of the National Sojourners.

 

“Our sole purpose in life is to promote Americanism and patriotism within the community,” said Sortini, in uniform representing “the Heroes of 76,”of that group’s mission.

 

Dr. David Farrior, a Beaufort resident, attends to meet up with his buddies.

 

“We like coming out and seeing people we don’t see any other time since we’re all over the county,” said Farrior, who has attended for a couple of years. “We gather with other people who have the same memories I guess.”

 

Farrior has run into “a lot of folks from 50 years ago” but not yet anyone who served with him on the USS Enterprise in World War II.

 

“I got cold chills when I think about that ship,” said Farrior, showing the goose bumps breaking out on his arms. “You wonder how anybody could get attached to an old piece of scrap metal.”

That “old piece of scrap metal,” he added, had more battle stars than any other ship in the Navy.

 

Farrior said most of the discussion did not center on war stories but just fellowship.

 

“We talk about little things,” said Farrior, citing club member Dr. Richard Borden, who was one of 100 veterans of World War II invited to France for the 60th anniversary of D-Day to receive the Legion of Honor from that country’s government, as the day’s hot topic.

 

Wives and children are just as welcome at the regular meetings, said co-founder Thomas.

 

“We’re happy to have guests,” he said. “We’re delighted to have anyone that wants to come and be a part of our meetings.

 

“It’s just a great, great group of people. They’ve done their part giving us the freedoms and the liberties we have in this country.”

 

That’s why the co-founders, according to Russell, share the only “official” title they need: “Just World War II veterans.”

 

For information, contact Tommy Russell at home, (252) 726-5123, or at the office, (252) 247-2848.