Operation Firm Handshake grows into the largest veterans picnic in the region

An idea discussed one night by two veterans, Max Valdez and Joe Guereca, at the Coal City Area Club was brought to life in just a few weeks. Leading to the first Operation Firm Handshake Veterans Picnic in 2013.

“He (Guereca) said, ‘You know, I sure would like to bring my group of veterans from the American Legion down here because this is beautiful. Have a little gathering or little picnic or something,’” Valdez said. “I said ‘you know what Joe, I think I could make that happen.’ So that’s how the whole thing started. I got a hold of a bunch of friends that are veterans, and I told them what my idea was about having a veterans picnic that is no cost to veterans, and kind of laid it all out. And that’s how it took off.”

They got to work asking for donations from local businesses. They talked face to face with business owners in the Coal City area and told them their plan and asked for donations. With enough donations, they were able to host a free picnic for about 360 people, according to Valdez.

They still go about getting sponsors the same way, still pulling in local businesses. They totaled 95 sponsors for this year’s picnic.

“We do go around knocking on doors, asking for sponsors and donations, stuff like that,” Operation Firm Handshake’s Secretary Fred Gaddis said, adding they also make phone calls.

Attendance at the picnic has grown over the years. Valdez said they hit their biggest crowd of about 1,600 in 2018. Since then, the numbers have been about 1,200 to 1,300 people.

“How we did it was just word of mouth and people coming and then spreading [the word]” Gaddis said. “We’ve got a lot more advertising with Morris and papers and stuff than what we used to.”

This idea just thought up by a couple of guys on a pontoon has seen a massive success. But before all of that, it needed an identity, a name.

“I was watching TV and this mom was talking to her son about how to greet people and she goes whenever you greet somebody, you look them in the eye and shake their hand. But when you shake their hand make sure it’s a firm handshake,” Valdez said. “So when she said that, that caught my eye, and is how I came up with Operation Firm Handshake”

With the success, they’ve had many organizations and departments come out to the picnic. Such as Freedom Flight, Chicago Hines Hospital, VFWs, American Legions, the Coal City Fire Department and the Coal City Police Department.

“We’re always looking for different things to present to the veterans,” Valdez said. “Sometimes we’ll bring out a canine group and do a little show and tell with that. We are always looking for different things to entertain the veterans and their families.”

Food donations also help make the picnic possible and Valdez’s friend supplies pigs for the pig roast.

Apart from the picnic, the organization also does community service, such as helping out in veterans homes.

“We help a lot of veterans. They need help. They call us. And there’s a few of us that are not working anymore, and we can get out and help them out,” Gaddis said.

Operation Firm Handshake isn’t only in Coal City, one has been started in Lost Creek, West Virginia. This one was started by Marty Broderick.

“He moved out to West Virginia and approached me about starting one out there. And I told him, ‘Yeah you sure can.’ So that’s how those guys got started,” Valdez said.

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Rich Bredenkamp, center, and his wife Jackie drove from Omaha, Nebraska to attend the 11th Annual Operation Firm Handshake Veteran’s Picnic with his former Army mate Bill Wills, from Coal City, and his wife Patti on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Coal City. (Gary Middendorf)