Three dozen veterans turned out Tuesday to honor retired Marine Col. Beverly Veal, the patriarch of one of two loosely-formed veterans’ groups that meets monthly at Bunny’s Restaurant.

During his 35-year military career, Veal, 90, served in World War II, the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War.

Veal, a regular at the veterans’ breakfast and the group’s oldest member, is moving to Atlanta this week to be nearer his son’s home.

Veal, who lives in Portsmouth, enlisted in the Marines in the early 1940s at age 17, just a few weeks after graduating from high school. Veal had grown up hearing tales about his father, also a Marine, fighting against Augusto Cesar Sandino, organizer of a guerilla-led resistance of the United States’ occupation of Nicaragua in the late 1920s.

The Marines shaped him into a man and taught him confidence, Veal said.

“At 17, I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted to do with my life,” Veal said. “It was probably the best thing I could have done.

“It forces you make a decision to do something with your life and … makes you confident in those decisions.”

Veteran Gary Sneed and his wife, Linda, of Chesapeake, have been coming to the veterans’ breakfasts at Bunny’s for several years. The Marine community is close knit, and Sneed said he enjoys the camaraderie and company of his fellow veterans.

“Once a Marine, always a Marine,” said Sneed.

Veteran Jim Parr called Veal a “Marine’s Marine.”

“He’s tough, wiry and smart as a computer,” said Parr.

Parr is one of several original veterans who founded the group that eats breakfast monthly in Bunny’s meeting room. The group meets at 8:30 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Any veteran is welcome.

Veal, a long-time diner at Bunny’s, joined them about five years ago, Parr said.

On Tuesday, Veal was the toast of the day, escorted by two Marine recruiters in military uniform, Pfc. William Ballard and Sgt. Marcus Harvey.

Throughout breakfast, veterans dropped by the head table to bid farewell to Veal.

“I might not remember everyone’s names … but you are all in my heart,” Veal said.