Oxford Free Methodist Church got a jump on Veterans Day by hosting a special dinner and tribute Saturday for all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Following a delicious meal, veterans and their family members were treated to a program filled with stirring patriotic music performed by church members, who honored those present with their vocal and instrumental talents.

Oxford resident Gordy Dibler, Jr. delivered a special message to veterans.

“As a parent and somebody that didn’t serve, I want you that did serve to know that there are many of us out here that pray for you every night,” he said. “That’s our responsibility – to help support you now.”

Dibler shared the story of his stepson, the late Byron Fouty, who spent part of his childhood in Oxford and attended Clear Lake Elementary.

It was the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. that motivated Fouty, who was just 13 at the time, to eventually join the U.S. Army.

“I thought he would go (into the) Navy and stay out of the desert,” Dibler said. “He didn’t. He wanted to be an infantryman.”

Fouty enlisted in July 2006. As a member of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division based in Fort Drum, New York, Fouty was deployed to Iraq in January 2007.

While on patrol on May 12, 2007, the 19-year-old infantryman was taken captive following an ambush by terrorists in Al Taqa, a city about 20 miles south of Baghdad. During the war, the city was part of an infamous area known as the Triangle of Death.

For more than a year, Fouty’s family had no idea if he was alive or dead. Their heartbreaking state of limbo ended when his remains were recovered on July 9, 2008.

Fouty was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

He’s buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.

Even though it’s been eight years since Fouty’s body was found, Dibler still thinks about his stepson every day. “There’s no way I can’t,” he said.

“But as much as it hurts,” Dibler doesn’t let the loss of his stepson stop him from reaching out to veterans, be they soldiers who served with Fouty or residents of Oxford.

To all the veterans, Dibler said, “Welcome home and thank you for your service.”