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Located at the Port of Vermilion is a small search and rescue station operated by a unit of the United States Coast Guard. USCG Station Abbeville is part of the U. S. Coast Guard’s 8th District of the New Orleans Sector and is the home port of the 87 ft. patrol boat, the USCGC Pelican.
Established by the Congress of the United States on August 4, 1790, the Coast Guard of today is one of the five armed services of the United States.
However, unlike the U. S. Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and Army which operate as parts of the United States Department of Defense, the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The focus of the Coast Guard is maritime safety, maritime security and maritime stewardship.
The Coast Guard personnel stationed at the Port of Vermilion were, like other members of the Department of Homeland Security, without income during the recent shutdown of a portion of the federal government.
Notwithstanding any personal financial distress resulting from the shutdown, the Coast Guard personnel of USCG Station Abbeville continued with operations to maintain the security and safety of our coastal waters.
Recognizing that Station Abbeville’s Coast Guard personnel were faced with financial difficulties stemming from the shutdown, the Legionnaires of Vermilion Post 29, under the direction of Commander 3 Thomas B. Thompson, stepped in to provide assistance to the Coast Guard unit.
The Legionnaires amassed enough canned and dried food stuffs to fill 12 large boxes.
With the assistance of Super 1 Foods, the Legionnaires were also able to obtain a large amount of meat. The food was then provided to the Coast Guard Unit.
These efforts of the Vermilion Post 29 Legionnaires exemplify the mission of the American Legion to serve the needs of all veterans and their families and to fulfill our commitment to our community, state, and nation.

Olivia Savoie loves to tell stories.
To be more precise, Savoie, a life-long resident of Vermilion Parish, loves to capture the stories of those who have a life-time of stories to tell.
After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Savoie, 24, began writing the life stories of elderly locals. Savoie takes those stories and creates something that will last forever.
“I sit down with beloved grandparents in Vermilion Parish,” Savoie said, “ask them to excavate the details of their lives, and then craft a complete life story book on their behalf. Rich, vivid Cajun stories flow forth.
“The family heirloom books include at least 30 photos and 50 pages of text.”
To date, Savoie has written more than 20 life-story books through her Raconteur Story Writing Services (www.RaconteurWriting.com). The storytellers have ranged from ages 70 to 105.
“I have worked,” Savoie said, “with a lifelong educator in Delcambre, a shrimper, a businessman in Abbeville, a World War II soldier, a wife and mother in her late 90s who recalled life in Vermilion Parish during World War II, a farmer, and so many more incredible storytellers.”
While those stories are there, younger family members may not know the stories, and the storytellers themselves may not have thought about them in years.
“This allows them to be preserved,” Savoie said. “We can go in-depth and dig up those memories. Even though we know our family and we think we know our grandparents, when was the last time you stopped and asked them about their own grandparents? When was the last time you asked them about Sunday car rides that they went on and what Abbeville was like in the 1930s.
“We don’t talk about those things, so it’s great to ask them about that and then their family gets that record.”
Savoie allows herself plenty of time when gathering those stories. She will work with a storyteller for as much as 15 hours during the course of several visits. This allows Savoie to uniquely craft the stories.
“I write in first person from each person’s unique voice,” Savoie explained. “I use a lot of their own words and their own tones. A lot of the reaction from families is, ‘It sounds like my mom wrote this.’
“That’s something they tell me they really value.”
Savoie said she sees that the storytellers themselves appreciate the process.
“I think a lot of older people may feel like they don’t have the opportunity to reminisce,” Savoie said. “Maybe they feel their families have heard the stories. With an unbiased, new person like me, who wants to talk to them for 10 to 12 to 15 hours, in small increments, of course, they can find it very cathartic to have that opportunity.”
Family members and the storytellers themselves are not the only ones who get something great from Savoie’s work.
“When I see the pride in them from the stories they tell,” Savoie said, “I am just inspired by my storytellers.”
Savoie will also write tribute books, as she calls them.
“If someone passes away,” Savoie said, “maybe someone who didn’t get a chance to know their grandchildren well, I will interview the family and write a biography about them.
“Their family still gets to know their story.”
Great, lasting stories can come from anywhere. Savoie’s work has taken her to all parts of the country. With that said, her home provides something really special.
“In Vermilion Parish, like all of Acadiana,” Savoie said, “we love our family, our food and our good times together. There are a lot of good times to document.
“That love of family is the motivation for recording your life story.”

ERATH – A Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Dorothy Landry Bernard, 92, will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Fr. Andre Metrejean officiating. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery.
Visitation will be at David Funeral Home of Erath on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 from 9 a.m. until the time of the services with a recitation of the rosary at 11:00AM.
A native and lifelong resident of Erath, Mrs. Bernard died at 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at Maison de Monde Nursing Home. She worked at the Bank of Erath until her retirement in 1985. She was also a former member of the Catholic Daughters.
She is survived by two grandchildren, Christine Laperouse and her husband David of Abbeville and David Falgout and his wife Jenny of Erath; six great grandchildren, Tyler Laperouse, Danielle Laperouse, Austin Laperouse, Brooke Brown and her husband Sammy, Blair Falgout, and Allie Falgout; two great great grandchildren, Averie Brown and Brylee Brown; a cousin, Theresa Shaw and her husband Bob and their daughter, Katrina Alexander; two nieces, Deana Simon and Telisa Lege and her husband Tim; two nephews, Shelby Bernard and his wife Debbie and Kevin Bernard and his wife Margaret; a brother in law, Lee Bernard; and a longtime family friend, Jenil and her husband Michael Falgout.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Vores Bernard; her parents, Otis and Elia LeBlanc Landry; and her son, Scottie Bernard.
Serving as pallbearers will be Scott Bernard, David Falgout, David Laperouse, Beau Bernard, Ross Simon, and Dason Bernard.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to her caretakers, Mildred Theall, Nancy Trahan, and Susan Gibson.