Veterans special section

Salute to

Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11

VETERANS

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012Jefferson County Leader2B SALUTE TO VETERANS

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CARPET • TILE • WOOD • NATURAL STONE

A veryspecial

Thank Youto all our

Veteransfor protecting

not only our country but also

our families.

In this special issue of the Leader, pub-lished in advance of Veterans Day on Sunday, Nov. 11, Jefferson Countians

tell a universally similar tale of service and sacrifi ce given by our U.S. service men and women to protect our nation and preserve

our freedoms.Stories in today’s issue span the cen-

turies, all the way back to the Revolution-ary War up to soldiers who are currently deployed overseas.

This is the third year the Leader has

invited community members to tell their individual or family stories of loss and heartbreak, humor and friendship, patrio-tism and loyalty that go hand in hand with service to our country.

Laura Marlow of the Leader newsroom

compiled submissions from veterans, their friends and family members for this issue.

Included, also, are feature stories about local veterans’ efforts to raise funds to honor and help those among their ranks.

The Leader joins the salute.

Thank you to veterans who serve today, those who served yesterday

First-grade buddies take Honor Flight together

A group of Missouri veterans in front of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., during a late September Honor Flight trip to the capitol. Standing second from left is Tim Dell; Roy Wilde and John Stamm are fi fth and sixth from left.

Roy Wilde and John Stamm, both of Arnold, played side-by-side on the playground as little boys; recently

the longtime buddies stood side-by-side in Washington, D.C., to be honored for their military service.

The two, along with fellow Arnold resident Tim Dell, took part in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., in late Sep-tember.

The three Arnold men were in a group of 32 veterans on the trip, spon-sored by Franklin County Honor Flight, one of seven Missouri hubs of the national Honor Flight Network.

The national group, founded in 2005 by a group of private pilots, hopes to give every World War II veteran the opportunity to visit “their” memorial in Washington, D.C., at no cost. To date, more than 80,000 veterans have made the journey.

“The weather was great, and the trip was tremendous,” Wilde said. “They had it all planned out, down to the last detail. It made for a great day, even though it was a long one, from 2 a.m. till about 11 o’clock at night.”

Wilde, Stamm and Dell boarded a Southwest Airlines plane in the early morning hours of Sept. 26. They landed in Washington and spent the day touring the military memorials on the National Mall as well as other local points of interest.

“Somebody puts a lot of planning into this,” Wilde said. “We all had guard-ians assigned to us, in case we needed help. The three of us (He, Stamm and Dell), we’re like the Three Musketeers; we’re pretty agile, and we can get around pretty well.

“But there were about 20 guys in wheelchairs, and some of them needed help, especially getting on and off the bus.”

The group posed for an offi cial por-trait at the World War II Memorial.

“That had to cost a lot. To get all that marble in place, that had to be a tremen-dous job,” Wilde said of the monument. He said being there gave him a sense of appreciation he didn’t have back when he was a young soldier.

“It kind of gives you the chance to relive some of that time,” he said. “I was one of the last draftees of World War II; I was just a young kid out of high school.

“I think young people should go through there and see it. I think it would mean something to them.”

The group fi nished the day with a viewing of the Changing of the Guard

ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery, then departed for home.

On arrival in St. Louis, the veterans walked through a fl ag escort by the Patriot Guard and then were guests at a recep-tion in their honor. Each received a com-memorative photo taken at the World War II Memorial, a congratulatory letter from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and a sheaf of letters and drawings from schoolchildren, friends and relatives.

“There were letters from students, thanking us,” Wilde said. “It was very heartwarming.”

He said the Honor Flight organiza-tion is providing a priceless service to veterans.

“They have the next one coming up in April, I hear,” he said. “They do it all with donations. I hope people will con-tinue to help them out.

“This trip was the chance of a life-time. It was all well worth it. It’s some-

thing I won’t forget.”“I hope other veterans will have the

chance to be honored in this way,” said

Bernie Wilde, Roy’s wife. “The veterans who served their country think only about serving other people.”

3BJefferson County LeaderThursday, Nov. 8, 2012 SALUTE TO VETERANS

Saluting Our Veterans

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Lesia and Clay McMahill of Impe-rial submitted photos of Lesia’s father, James Ledford Tye, who

served more than 20 years in the U.S. military.

Tye was born in 1935 and joined the Army in 1953 as an 18-year-old.

“He did his basic training at Fort Knox, Ky.,” his daughter said. “He served during the Korean (conflict) from 1953 until 1955 as a tank driver.

From there he was stationed in Germany for two years; Fort Mead, Fla., for a year; Fort Greely, Alaska, for 29 months; and Fort Rucker, Ala., until 1966.”

In 1966, Tye was sent to Vietnam, where he commanded a platoon of helicopters and was a machine gunner on a chopper. During the 41 months

Daughter honors father, who served in Korea, Vietnam

James Tye as a young serviceman.James Tye in a recent photo.

he spent in Vietnam, he was instru-mental in many rescue operations.

“He will tell you that the men on the ground were heroes,” McMahill said. “They came to his rescue on over a half-dozen instances where his chopper was shot down by the enemy.”

Tye was honorably discharged in 1973, and brought home numerous medals, although in those days of anti-war sentiment, the homecoming he received was lukewarm.

“Not much recognition was given to our fallen heroes or our guys who came home after serving during that era until the recent years,” McMahill said. “But James Ledford Tye was just one of the many who served, and who truly were our heroes.”

Audrey and Ken Hopkins of Barn-hart submitted a photo of their son-in-law, U.S. Navy Capt.

David Christopher “Chris” Fadler, 50, a project manager for the NATO Seaspar-row Missile System Project.

Capt. Fadler, a Fox High graduate, is the son of Pam Hicks of Festus and Lonnie Fadler of Brewer. He received his commission in 1990 following his graduation from St. Louis University with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineer-ing. In 1996, he was awarded a master’s degree in astronauti-cal engineering from the Naval Postgradu-ate School in Mon-terey, Calif.. Capt. Fadler is a certified acquisition profes-sional and a graduate of the Defense Acqui-sition University’s Executive Program Manager course.

Capt. Fadler participated in Op-

Official Navy portrait of Capt. David Christopher Fadler.

Barnhart couple’s son-in-law has long, illustrious career eration Desert Shield while serving as a communications offi cer in his fi rst at-sea assignment, the USS Robert Peary, home-ported in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also served aboard the USS Ingersoll,

also based at Pearl Harbor, as main pro-pulsion assistant.

After complet-ing his master’s de-gree, Capt. Fadler was assigned to the Strategic Air Com-mand in Omaha, Neb . , where he served as the lead nu-clear effects engineer in force assessments, special studies di-vision, until 1999. He then attended the Navy’s Surface Warfare Department Head School in New-port, R.I.

He returned to sea as combat sys-tems department head aboard the USS Peleliu, which par-

ticipated in retaliatory operations in Iraq following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

In 2002, he was assigned to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego and was in charge of C4I (Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence).

In September 2005, Capt. Fadler reported to Washington, D.C., where he served fi rst as head of the Ballistic Missile Defense Branch, then as acting CG(X) systems integration program manager. He served a one-year tour in combat operations in Iraq as part of the Navy’s

Counter-IED Task Force. In 2008, Capt. Fadler was assigned

to the manage the production and support of the SM-2 missile and to assist in the development and testing of the SM-6 pro-gram. In September 2010, he was selected for the Seasparrow project.

Capt. Fadler is the recipient of the Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Navy Achievement medals and individual and unit commendations.


We salute the men and women who have and are serving our country.

Werner C. Stichling& Associates

615 Collins Dr., Festus636-937-9671

Staff & Family Of

Vinyard Funeral Homes

A DAY OFREMEMBRANCE...

Thank you,veterans for

preserving our freedom.

Gary Ellis, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970, only recently learned his

ancestors began defending this land before it even became the United States.

“While going through my father’s old trunks, my daugh-ter (Kimberly Grau of De Soto) came upon this research,” said Ellis, 63, of Festus. “Our fam-ily members fought in most of the campaigns of the Revo-lutionary War. They fought in the Virginia Militia. It’s a tradition in the family to join the military. We’ve always been patriotic.”

His father, Archie Ellis, and his uncle, Henry Ellis, fought in World War II in the Philippines – information Gary Ellis knew before his daughter opened the trunk.

Grau said the family un-covered some interesting mili-tary memorabilia.

“There was my Grandpa Archie’s Bible,” she said. “They used to give the soldiers these Bibles with little metal plates in them for protection. There are all kinds of stories about guys who carried them in their pockets and they stopped bullets.

“Grandpa said it was not only for protection but for comfort.”

Festus Vietnam vet learnsof family military history

Ellis said it was thrilling to discover his family’s long history in the U.S. military.

“My family has fought in every war America has been in,” he said. “Thomas Alley Jr., son of Thomas Alley, died from wounds suffered in the Revo-lutionary War.”

He said the research showed family members par-ticipated in many major U.S. military battles.

“An uncle, James Davis, fought in the Battle of the Bulge,” he said. “He was an Army Ranger. He was horri-bly wounded, but he survived and came home. Gene Davis, James’ brother, also fought at the Battle of the Bulge.”

At least one of his rela-tives graduated from a military academy.

“John Carl Ferguson Jr. went through the U.S. Naval Academy,” Ellis said. “He was in World War II.”

Gary Ellis’ two-year stint in the Marines during the Vietnam War centered on medical support services.

“I served in the 1st Marine Division-Danang Medical Corps,” he said. “We were security and drivers for the Medical Division. We served as ambulance drivers and also provided security for the post.”

said. “Thomas Alley Jr., son of Thomas Alley, died from wounds suffered in the Revo-lutionary War.”

showed family members par-ticipated in many major U.S. military battles.

fought in the Battle of the Bulge,” he said. “He was an Army Ranger. He was horri-bly wounded, but he survived and came home. Gene Davis, James’ brother, also fought at the Battle of the Bulge.”

tives graduated from a military academy.

went through the U.S. Naval Academy,” Ellis said. “He was in World War II.”

Archie Ellis

Gary Ellis

Three generations of serviceRay Harre of Dittmer is proud of his brother, father and grandfather, who served America over three generations. He submitted photos of the three men.

Ray Harre’s brother, Sgt. Roger Dean Harre, served with the Army’s 25th Infantry, Charlie Company in Vietnam. He now lives in Eureka.

Frank Meyer, Ray Harre’s grandfather, served as a signalman with the Navy during World War I.

Ray Harre’s father, Charles Harre, served with the Navy on the USS Alabama during World War II.


This Veterans Day, remember to honor those who fought to

preserve our freedom.

St. Pius X High School1030 St. Pius Drive • Festus, MO 63028

www.stpius.com • 636-931-PIUS

God Bless Our Veterans!

Established in 1978, the Jefferson County Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization, meeting the needs of men, women and children without regard to race, religion or national origin.

Since 1978

8943 Commercial Blvd.Mailing Address: P.O. Box 211

Pevely, MO 63070-0211

Jefferson County resCue Mission, inC.Office: 636-475-3030Fax: 636-475-9336

www.jeffersoncountyrescuemission.org

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSQuestion: Why are we always asking for food?Answer: Our food pantry is open 5 days per week.Question: How many families do you serve a day?Answer: Between 20 and 30.Question: How many phone calls for help do you receive a day?Answer: 3 - 15.Question: How many individual family members are fed a month?Answer: Approximately 900.Question: Do you maintain a soup kitchen?Answer: Yes.Question: What are the hours of your soup kitchen?Answer: Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m./ Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.Question: Where do you get your funding for operating expenses?Answer: We receive money from individuals, churches, clubs, organizations and foundations.Question: How much government assistance do you receive annually?Answer: We receive no federal, state or United Way money.Question: Where do you buy food for your pantry?Answer: Local grocery stores and the St. Louis Area Food Bank.Question: Who do you receive food donations from?Answer: Individuals, churches, clubs, grocery stores and Operation Food Search.

From the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm, our nation has survived and thrived thanks to our veterans. Remember their service and dedication on this day.

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It was October 1952 when Jim Bell of Pevely received a polite but insistent letter from the Department of the

Army.

Dear James Bell,Your friends and neighbors

have selected you to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. You will report to the Lone Pine Hotel in Ironton, Mo., to be sent to St. Louis by bus, and from there shipped out to a processing center for training.

“We were sworn in about 10 a.m. the next day and put on a train and sent to Camp Crowder,” Bell recalled. “After about a week at Camp Crowder, we got our clothing, got haircuts and shots.”

Bell said he was nervous when he and all the other greenhorn soldiers were lined up and given their assignments.

“All around me, they were calling out fellows’ names and saying places like Fort Benning, Ga., or Fort Riley, Kan.,” he said. “I didn’t want to be 20 years old and be stuck off somewhere far

Pevely man broke his foot early in 2-year stint,but went on to train in carpentry, mechanics

away all by my-self, not knowing anybody.

“When that sergeant called my name and said Fort Leon-a r d Wo o d , I could have kissed him.”

Things were going well un-t i l December, when Bell broke his foot during a training exercise and ended up in a knee-high cast. He was pulled from the training program.

“The days got long, as I wasn’t able to do anything,” he said. “I came home every weekend, and sometimes I length-ened the weekend pass.”

It was on one such three-day pass that he and his high school sweetheart, Fay, went to Salem, Ark., and got married.

“She ended up traveling with me all over the U.S.,” he said. “We were really

lucky; I hardly ever lived on base.” Recovered from his injury, Bell

completed carpenter school at Fort Leonard Wood, then spent a short time at Camp Chaffee, Ark., and Camp Polk, La., before being sent to Fort Belvoir in Virginia to attend a heavy equipment mechanic school.

He ended up in Fort Hood, Texas, with the 35th Engineers Group, assigned to build roads and bridges.

“The Jiles bridge across Cowhouse Creek is 240 feet long and 40 feet in the air,” he said. “It is still being used, as of my last report.”

Bell was discharged in 1954 and couldn’t wait to return to “Good old Mis-souri,” as he calls it, where he has lived ever since.

“Texas was so fl at, and it was so hot, so dry and so dusty,” he said. “We had been there six or eight months, and when we came up through Oklahoma and started to see rolling hills and some green, it felt so good.”

Jim and Fay Bell have been married nearly 60 years and have three children, all of whom live locally.

Jim Bell

Anna Kemper of De Soto sent in a tribute to her “beloved hero,” her husband, Harold.

“I met my hero when I was 13,” she recalls. “He was the fi rst boy to kiss me.”

He asked her to marry him when they were both 14.

“I said that would be foolish; we were too young,” Anna said. “I told him, ‘Maybe later.’”

More than half a cen-tury later, as it turns out.

The couple broke up long ago when Harold went away to become a soldier.

“He said, ‘There’s got to be a better way than milking cows at 4 o’clock in the morning,’

Army broke them up, but couple reunited 54 years laterand at the end of our junior year, he left to join the Army,” she said.

She eventually married someone else, and Harold made the military his career.

He served on military bases in Kansas, Okla-homa, Georgia, Colorado, Kentucky and Missouri, and was deployed to Ja-pan, Germany, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and to Korea several times.

He was married twice and divorced; she was widowed after 45 years of marriage. They saw each other again, for the fi rst time in 54 years, at a class reunion in 2001.

“The old spark was still there,” Anna said.

“We will be married 10 years in 2013.

Harold Kemper

“And, you know, he never did tell me if the Army turned out to be better than milking cows.”


Veterans of Foreign WarsVFW Post 3777

900 VFW Drive, Festus937-5400

Join us for our Veterans Day ServiceSunday, November 11 • 11:00 a.m.

second date,” Norma said. “And I said yes. He didn’t want to wait for blood tests, so we went to Mississippi and were married.”

During the drive home, the newly-weds stopped at a gas station and noticed storm clouds beginning to gather. They barely made it to their car when a tor-nado hit.

“The tornado went right over us,” Norma said. “That car was really rocking and rolling. It was so scary.

“I thought for a few min-utes there that it was going to be a very short marriage.”

Norma’s two brothers also served with the U.S. m i l i t a r y – Col. Donald Bourbon with the Army and

Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Everette Miller, assigned to the USS Wisconsin.

It wasn’t until after Norma and Mel-vin were married that they learned he and one of his new brothers-in-law had a previous connection.

“When they were in Korea, my hus-band’s unit was pinned down and they called in the Navy to help,” Norma said. “My brother was on that ship; he didn’t know it, but he was saving his future brother-in-law.”

Petty Officer 3rd Class Steven Vaughn, the grandson of Melvin and Norma Helms and the son of Patricia Parsons of Herculaneum., is training with the U.S. Navy Seabees in mechanical /heavy equipment repair.

Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Everette Miller, assigned to the USS Wisconsin.

vin were married that they learned he and one of his new brothers-in-law had a previous connection.

band’s unit was pinned down and they called in the Navy to help,” Norma said. “My brother was on that ship; he didn’t know it, but he was saving his future brother-in-law.”

Vaughn, the grandson of Melvin and Norma Helms and the son of Patricia Parsons of Herculaneum., is training with the U.S. Navy Seabees in mechanical /

Norma Helms of Festus submitted photos of her husband, the late Marvin Helms, who served with

the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War.

He was trained as a military me-chanic, and would be proud, his wife said, to know that their grandson is in training to be a mechanic as well.

Helms received the United Nations Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with one silver and two bronze stars, the Army Occupation Medal (Japan) and the ROK Presidential Unit Citation.

Marvin and Norma Helms met in July 1953, following his return to the U.S. from service in Korea.

“He asked me to marry him on our

Scariest moment might have been tornado after discharge

Petty Offi cer 3rd Class Steven Vaughn in training with the Navy Seabees.

Melvin Helms in Hersfi eld, Germany, in 1946.

Faye Oldham of Pevely submitted a photo of her grandson, John “Spen-cer” Oldham, now deployed to Af-

ghanistan as a medical corpsman with the U.S. Army. Spencer is the latest in a line of

Oldhams to serve with the U.S. military.His father, John “Rhett” Oldham of

St. Louis, served in the early 1980s with the Air Force, while his uncle, Klint Old-ham of Pevely, served with the U.S. Navy.

Spencer’s grandfather, Faye’s hus-band John “Buddie” Oldham, served in Germany from 1958 to 1960. “He was there at the same time as Elvis Presley,” Faye says. “They weren’t in the same unit,

but Buddie saw him all the time.”Spencer’s great-grandfather, the late

John Oldham, served with the U.S. Army under Gen. George Patton during World War II.

Latest in line of military Oldhams is serving in AfghanistanSpencer Oldham, now serving in Afghanistan with the Army.

John Oldham, Spencer’s great-grandfather. Rhett Oldham, Spencer’s dad. Klint Oldham, Spencer’s uncle.

Buddie Oldham, Spencer ’s grandfather.

Julie Bartz of Arnold submitted information about her father, Sgt. Bernard Hermann, who served 18

months with the Army during the Kore-an War. Bartz said Sgt. Hermann’s unit had challenges in every season. “When winter set in, there was a lot of snow and very cold weather, sometimes as low as -35 degrees at night. Hermann, 82, lives in French Village.

Sgt. Hermann ‘weathered’ 18 months in Korea

Bernard Hermann in Korea.


Welcome

Dr. Alam is presently scheduling new patients.To make an appointment, call 636-933-8270.

For a complete directory of Jefferson Regional physicians visit www.jhsmo.com

Dr. Alam completed his neurology residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Saint Louis University Hospital. After receiving his medical degree at the Dow Medical College with honors, he served as a postgraduate trainee in both Internal Medicine and General Surgery.

Dr. Alam is specially trained to provide neurological care for epilepsy, stroke, headaches, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, balance, peripheral neuropathies, neuromuscular disorders, and pain disorders. Dr Alam specializes in neurological procedures including nerve conduction studies, muscle testing, botulinum injections and autonomic testing.

“Neurology is a rapidly expanding and a complex specialty,” Dr. Alam said. “We have new resources and medications to diagnose and treat neurological conditions that had no cure previously.”

Dr Alam believes in patient centered care and strongly believes in a multidisciplinary approach to take care of neurological patients and their families.

“My patients are my top priority and they always come first,” Dr. Alam said.

Dr Alam is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, American Epilepsy Society and the American Medical Association. He has many publications in his area of expertise including the course manual of “Myopathies: Electrodiagnostic Approach” that he authored for the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Jefferson Regional Medical Center would like to welcome to the medical staff, Tariq J. Alam, MD | Neurology and Electrodiagnostic Medicine

636-797-5800

Peter [email protected]

Gary [email protected]

Master Sgt. David Keeley of Herculaneum retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2011

and sent in this account of his military service at the request of his wife.

He left for basic training shortly after graduating from high school in 1987, and served as a utilities systems specialist for 24 years.

His assignments included fi ve years at Edwards Air Force Base in California, two years at San Vito dei Normanni Air Station in southern Italy and 17 years with the 823rd Red Horse Squadron at Hurlburt Field in Florida.

Keeley spent the last half of his career as part of the Airborne Red Horse program, retiring as a jump-master and a master parachutist. His team was Airborne and Air Assault qualifi ed, enabling them to deploy by parachute or helicopter insertion with their Special Forces, Ranger, SEAL or 82nd Airborne counterparts. Once on the ground, his team would assess and repair captured airbases for use against enemy forces.

His tour with the 823rd meant frequent and extended deployments away from home and family. His unit was among the fi rst on the scene during many U.S. military operations, including operations in Bosnia; the Khobar Towers terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia; and the drug war in the Caribbean and Central America.

Keeley was deployed on multiple tours in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and neighboring countries.

County man spent 24 years with U.S. Air Force

Dav id Kee ley in Mehmaneh , Afghanistan, in 2008.

Whenever there’s a parade, a veterans function or any sort of military gathering in Vine-

land, N.J., you can be sure 90-year-old Missouri native Ed Brady will be there in full dress uniform.

Recently he donned his dress blues for a trip to Washington, D.C., where he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. He was one of about 400 members of the Montford Point Marines, the fi rst African-Ameri-cans to serve in the United States Marine Corps, to be awarded the medal, considered one of the high-est civilian honors awarded by Con-gress.

Brady served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, making him one of the less than 1 percent of veter-ans alive to have served in all three wars.

But don’t expect to get a fl ashy an-swer if you ask him about his impressive career.

Joyce Brady of Herculaneum said

Three-war veteran Ed Brady and his wife, Anna Mae, at a dinner earlier this year.

Ed Brady got the job done – in three warsany time anyone asks her father-in-law about his military service, they’ll get the same answer.

“No matter what they ask, he always just says, ‘It was my job. I just did my job,’” she said.

Brady served as a pilot, running mostly supplies.

“He would fl y in, land, load up and take off again, just over and over,” Joyce said. “Now, the Air Force didn’t like that; they thought pilots ought to have a college degree.

“ B u t t h e Marines told the Air Force, ‘You just forget about it,’ and Dad kept fl ying.”

Brady grew up in Missouri and a t tended the University of Illinois. He was 19 when he applied to join the Marines, the

last of the country’s military branches to accept blacks into its ranks.

“He told us his grandmothers on both sides were slaves on Grant’s Farm,” his daughter-in-law said.

“You hear about all these guys com-ing home from the wars with all kinds of problems. I asked him one time, ‘What about you?’ and he said, ”It was pretty rough. But that’s what they paid me for.’

“He didn’t like to make a big deal of it.”

Brady retired in 1971 as a captain, and lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anna Mae. He enjoys returning to Mis-souri for visits, when he sees his son and daughter-in-law, as well as old friends in De Soto and his Riney cousins in Crystal City.

“He’s a good guy,” Joyce said. “He’s content in his life, and proud of what he did for America.”


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By Laura MarlowFor the Leader

Anyone who asks former Marines Amanda “Mandy” or Thomas “Tom” Lovell what military ser-

vice is all about should expect a detailed and passionate answer.

The two, along with their toddler son and two dogs, recently completed a three-month, 10,000-mile journey of discovery across the United States, recording along the way the sights and scenes they plan to turn into a book titled “Worth Fight-ing For.”

“There are people who don’t sup-port the military, and we wanted to show them why they should,” said Mandy, 27, a Crystal City native who is expecting the couple’s second child in January.

“We wanted to show why we went overseas,” said Tom, 30, a Florida native. “We wanted people to see all the places that are stunning and beautiful, and to understand why we’re defending it.

“There are people who just don’t know how amazing this piece of land is.”

The two said they wanted to docu-ment the pure beauty of the country and its people, staying away from topics like politics, crime or industrialization.

They began their journey in early June and ended in late August, arriving home tired but happy, and with nearly 5,000 images Mandy shot over the course of their trip. Now they move to the next phase of their lives, which in addition to editing and publishing their book, will include more schooling, new jobs, mov-ing to a new city and getting ready for a new baby.

How they metMandy is the daughter of Dave

and Peggy Tipton of Crystal City. She graduated a year early from Crystal City High School and began at Truman State University in Kirksville in August 2003, studying graphic design and visual com-munications for two years, then spent four years in the Marines.

Tom worked as a civilian boat cap-tain after graduating from high school, then worked for a while as a process server. He entered the Marines as a 25-year-old in 2007.

Worth fi ghting forFormer Marines tour country to produce photo book

Both Mandy and Tom were deployed to the Middle East during their service.

The two met when they both were stationed in North Carolina, Tom at Camp Lejeune and Mandy at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Their relationship started off with a little bit of embellish-ment on Tom’s part.

“She had just made sergeant, and some of her friends wanted to take her out to celebrate,” Tom said. “She told them she was sick of Marines; she wanted to go someplace where there was no USMC. So they headed to Beaufort.”

Tom, who was a private fi rst class at the time, was on a similar outing with a friend. The two groups met while enjoy-ing live music on the Beaufort water-front, and Tom and Mandy struck up a conversation.

“I introduced myself, and she asked what rank I was,” he said. “I said cor-poral.”

“You lied,” his wife sniffed.“Eh, I just closed the gap a little,” he

said with a grin.Back on base, Sgt. Tipton couldn’t

get the brash young Marine out of her mind, and looked him up in the Corps database.

“I called him up and said, ‘I think you have something you want to tell me.’”

The two sorted things out, and have been together ever since. Mandy left the Marines in March 2009 to attend the Sa-vannah College of Art and Design. They welcomed baby Cameron in August 2010, and were married in July 2011, as soon as Tom fi nished his stint in the service. They

relocated to Sarasota, Fla., where Tom has family, in November 2011.

The tripThe Lovells had long talked of an

extended road trip once they were both out of the Marines. They envisioned six months or more crisscrossing the country, planning different routes and choosing the sights they didn’t want to miss.

“We both love to travel,” Tom said. “And we knew if we took a trip, we’d be driving. We’re used to it. When you’re in the military, you do long drives. You have to, to see your family. It’s just what you do.”

The proposed journey evolved, though, as they got deeper into the plan-ning.

“When it started out, we thought we were going to live on the road, go to school online,” Tom said. “One day, we were talking about it and it just hit me: We should turn it into a project,” Mandy said. “It should be about our country, and what’s worth fi ghting for about it.”She had hit on a theme they both could embrace.

“When she said that, it just really resonated with me,” Tom said. “It just made sense, to use our trip to show what is at the heart of our country.”

They decided to make it a photo-journalism project. Mandy went to work putting up a website to get the word out about the trip and to seek donations. Tom was responsible for securing and supply-ing the camper that would be their home

on the road.Mandy graduated on June 2, with

extended family members on both sides in attendance. The young family left on their trek shortly afterward.

“We thought it was meaningful,” Tommy said, “to start the trip with a vet-eran graduating on the GI Bill.”

The Lovells headed first to Gulf Shores, Ala., by way of Montgomery. They spent a few nights, seeing the shrimp boats and talking to folks along the coast. They spent time in the New Or-leans area, where they toured plantations and snapped photos of the art, architecture and landscapes of the South.

“We tried to stay away from the touristy areas,” Tom said. “A hometown feeling is what we were looking for.”

From New Orleans it was west to Dallas, then to San Antonio, where they found a vibrant community.

“There was such good food, and crowds of young people,” Mandy said.

Big Bend National Park in Texas was the fi rst of the many stops they made in national parks.

“We hiked from one end of Big Bend to the other,” Mandy said.

The Lovells slowly moved west, visiting Carlsbad Caverns and Santa Fe; Los Alamos and Albuquerque; Area 51 and the Grand Canyon. In California, they spent time in Yosemite National Park, then north to San Francisco and the red-wood country. They journeyed through Klamath in Oregon, then into Washington

See LOVELL, Page 9B

The Grand Canyon. Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton National Park.


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and back east into Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.“That had a bit of a Canadian feel to

it,” Tom said.Wyoming, Montana, Denver, Colo-

rado – the young family kept moving, and everywhere they went, Mandy took pictures. She took thousands of images: portraits and landscapes; closeups and panoramic views; shots of young Cam-eron getting a washtub bath somewhere in the high desert and other family moments.

Tom got to take a few shots, as well.“If we went to a restaurant, I was in

charge of taking pictures of the food,” he said.

The family – which included dogs Bella and Rocky – kept busy along the way. Keeping an active toddler occupied wasn’t a problem.

“The dogs were more of a challenge than the baby,” Mandy said with a laugh. “We were constantly going, hiking, mov-ing around, seeing things. He (Cameron) loved it.”

The trip was good for them all, both grown-ups said.

“The lifestyle was amazing,” Tom said. “More music, less TV. More fresh air, less Internet.

“You feel better because you’re ac-tive. We ate better, healthier, than we do at home.”

After stopping in Crystal City to visit Mandy’s family, the Lovells ended up back in Florida by the end of August. They were then faced with sorting, edit-ing and cataloguing the many images they’d taken.

“I’m really picky about which of the photos I use,” Mandy said. “I’d like to fi nish the book before the new year, but we’ll see. I still have a 2-year-old to chase around.”

The bookThe Lovells fi nanced the trip largely

through their own savings. Asked how much the trek cost, they exchanged sheep-ish looks and laughed.

“We told ourselves it would spoil the trip to keep track of what it cost,” Mandy said. “We had a handful of donations, but that was about enough to cover gas for a week. In the end, it was paid for by us.

I’m really proud of that.”The couple had a lot of lead time to

plan and save, and their expenses on the road, besides gas, were no greater than they would have been to live at home.

“We’re actually pretty financially savvy,” Tom said. “Like, they had a deal at Publix (grocery chain) where you would get a discounted BP gas card for every so much you spent. We were going to buy groceries anyway, and we just kept saving those cards up.”

They hope to recoup some of the trip’s costs through sales of the book, and also plan to give away 20 percent of the proceeds.

“A portion of the profi ts from the book, we plan to donate to either Disabled American Veterans or to the Wounded Warrior Project,” Mandy said.

It promises to be a busy fall for the Lovells. Besides editing the photos she took and designing the layout of the book, Mandy will be gearing up for a new baby and a new job. She is scheduled to begin work as a graphic designer for a govern-ment agency headquartered in Washing-ton, D.C., beginning next spring or early summer. Tom is taking classes online, pursuing a degree in political science.

Both say they won’t soon forget the experience of their months on the road.

“It was priceless,” Tom said. “There is just literally no way you can put a price

on something like this.”Mandy concurred.“We’ve had retired people say,

‘You’re so lucky, to be able to do this while you’re young.’

“And we are really grateful we could afford to do it. It was just amazing.”

For information about the book or to purchase photos from the project, visit the Lovells’ Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/WorthFightingFor.us, or their web-site: www.WorthFightingFor.us.

Lovell: Portion of proceeds to benefi t veterans groupsContinued from Page 8B

Tom and Mandy Lovell with their son, Cameron, and dogs, Bella and Rocky, in San Francisco.

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Seven years later, Hancock went to Georgia to surprise his friend

Bill Hancock, now 57, of De Soto wasn’t in his usual spot that Sep-tember day in 2005, and that fact

forever changed his life and that of his buddy, Sgt. Clarence Eady.

Eady was riding point on a road-clearing mission outside Baghdad when an IED (improvised explosive device) placed under the roadway exploded, turn-ing his M-113 armored personnel carrier into a raging inferno.

“Out of 32 missions, that was the only one where I wasn’t the lead vehicle,” Hancock said. “Why, that one day, did it happen? It should have been me up there.”

Instead, Hancock, a maintenance platoon sergeant with the National Guard, found himself watching in horror as

De Soto man helped rescue buddy after IED explosion

fl ames belched from the vehicle and his friend tried to crawl out.

Hancock and others in the platoon

raced to pull Eady from the wreckage and administer fi rst aid.

“The last I saw of him (Eady) was

when I helped put him into a (tracked vehicle) with tourniquets on both his legs,” Hancock said.

In early October, the two met up again when Hancock surprised Eady with a visit to his Georgia home.

“It was good to see him again,” Han-cock said of Eady, who ended up losing his left leg in the accident.

Hancock began military lifeafter high school graduation

Bill Hancock went into the Army in 1973, straight out of De Soto High School. He joined the National Guard right after he got out in 1976, and has served with the Guard ever since.

“I’ve got 39 years in, as of Septem-ber,” he said. He works for Schnucks grocery stores, and also does part-time security work at Jefferson Regional Medi-cal Center in Crystal City.

He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 with the 220th Engineer Company in Festus. His platoon was based at Camp Striker,

See HANCOCK, Page 11B

Bill Hancock, Clarence Eady and Eady’s father at the Eady’s home in Georgia. Clarence Eady uses a prosthetic left leg.Clarence Eady prior to the explosion.

Fire burns following an IED explosion that injured Bill Hancock’s military buddy.


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near the southwest corner of Baghdad.“We were tasked with recovery of

vehicles damaged in route-clearance missions. Our job was to keep the roads clear, supply lines open,” he said.

“(We took) a crew of seven guys in three vehicles, and we’d go out and recover vehicles like the ‘Buffalo’ mine-sweeper-type vehicle. They used those to fi nd IEDs; once in a while they’d fi nd one the hard way. Then we’d have to go out and get it and bring it – or the pieces of it – back.”

On this particular day, Hancock said he ran into a delay getting one of the vehicles hooked up.

“That allowed the insurgents to ini-tiate an IED behind us,” he said. “Nor-mally, I would be the lead vehicle; they would wait for me to come up and take the lead spot. This day I radioed to Staff Sgt. Eady and said, ‘Don’t wait for me; let’s just get the heck out of here.’

“We didn’t go a mile before his ve-hicle just blew up right in front of me.”

He radioed the incident in to base and some of his crew provided security around the burning vehicle.

“I went up, and me and another guy pulled Sgt. Eady back away from the vehicle. We realized how bad his injuries were, and got a medic up there right away.”

Once the medical unit had come for Eady, Hancock snapped some pictures of the still-burning personnel carrier, with one of its tracks blown completely off and Eady’s still-smoldering helmet rest-ing in the roadway near where the bomb had been planted.

Surprise in GeorgiaSince then, Hancock said, he has

thought often of Eady, wondering how his

former platoon mate was getting along.“So I looked him up on the Internet,”

Hancock said. “I got in touch with his wife and told her I wanted to see him. I was going to ride my motorcycle down there, then she called me back and said, ‘My daughter and I want to fl y you down here and surprise him.’”

Hancock showed up just as Eady was coming in from working on the peanut farm he and his dad own.

“There was a local TV station that showed up, and the camera guy came in right behind me and they got it all on tape,” Hancock said. “When (Eady and his father) got in the kitchen, I came around the corner.”

Hancock still had the key to the ve-hicle in which Eady was hurt.

“I said, ‘Next time you leave a track on the side of road in Iraq, have the de-cency to lock it and take the key,’ and I tossed it to him.

“The look on his face was priceless.”The two men spent the weekend

eating, drinking, talking and laughing together. Hancock said his mind is now at ease, and the two plan to keep up their relationship.

“He has a prosthetic left leg, and his right leg is damaged,” he said of Eady. “He has had a lot of surgeries and a lot of therapy; he has a lot of scars. But it was good to see that he’s doing well. That’s the main thing.”

Hancock said the reunion provided some emotional moments.

“When his father looked me in the eye and said, ‘Thank you for being there for my son,’ that about did me in,” Han-cock said.

What the two of them went through together made him and Eady friends in a way non-soldiers have a hard time under-standing, Hancock said.

“I told him we are like twin sons from different mothers.”

Hancock: Platoon mates reunitedContinued from Page 10B

‘Dad’ loved to regale his children with harrowing WWII tales

Margie Kennedy of Festus and her brother, Tom McCord, sent in a tribute to their father, the late

William Thomas “Bill” McCord, who entered the Army at age 18 in July 1943. He served in the Philippines as a staff sergeant in the infantry.

“I know a lot of sol-diers returning from World War II don’t like to re-member those dreadful times,” Kennedy said. “But it seemed to be to-tally opposite with Dad; he constantly was telling war stories.”

One story he told his children took place while he was serving on Okinawa.

“He and others in his platoon had to hide behind a rock and remain motionless for three days, know-ing that if they were sighted they would

Bill McCord on Okinawa in 1945.

immediately be shot by the Japanese,” Kennedy said.

While stationed on Okinawa, Mc-Cord pulled a wounded platoon leader

to safety. He received the Bronze Star for his efforts. He was wounded three times, and was awarded three Purple Hearts with oak leaf cluster. He also received an Asiatic Pa-cific Theatre Campaign Ribbon, a Philippine Lib-eration Ribbon with two bronze stars, three Over-seas Service Bars, a Good Conduct Medal and the Victory Ribbon.

“He truly considered serving his country in World War II the greatest accomplishment of his

life,” his daughter said. As per his request, McCord is buried in the National Cem-etery at Jefferson Barracks.

Bill McCord on Okinawa in 1945.

Bronze Star for his efforts. He was wounded three times, and was awarded three Purple Hearts with oak leaf cluster. He also received an Asiatic Pa-cific Theatre Campaign Ribbon, a Philippine Lib-eration Ribbon with two bronze stars, three Over-seas Service Bars, a Good Conduct Medal and the Victory Ribbon.

serving his country in World War II the greatest Bill McCord’s Army discharge.


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Carl Tinnin of Bloomsdale belongs to an elite category of veterans who make up less than 1 percent of

the total of American veterans alive today. He is a three-war veteran, having served active duty in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

A Jefferson County native, he is the father of Festus city Councilman Jim Tinnin.

Tinnin, 85, is a member of the All 3 Wars Association, a national organization formed in 2004. The group has members in locations across the country, ranging in rank from a National Guard brigadier general to an Army private. All have one thing in common, though: They served with some branch of the U.S. military during all three of the major confl icts of the late-20th century. Tinnin is unusual, even among this group, for another rea-son. His service was spread across three branches – the Navy, the Marines and the Air Force.

Today his health is frail, largely a result, he is sure, of his combat experi-ences. But his memory is sharp and his voice is strong as he recalls a career that spanned three decades, three continents and the distance between a boy and a man.

Sailor boyCarl Tinnin was 17 years old when

he entered the U.S. Navy in 1944.“I was happy to get off the farm,”

he said.By the time he turned 18, he was in

combat aboard the transport ship USS Pondera. A fi re control gunner, he was responsible for aiming one of the 40-mil-limeter Mark 51 guns on deck.

His experiences were a far cry from life in rural Missouri.

“I remember the time we ran into a ty-phoon,” he recalled. “The wind was 160 knots – now that’s knots, mind you, so that’s about 200 miles an hour – and the ship took a 38-de-gree roll. I was in the hold; you couldn’t stay topside because the wind was bad enough to strip paint off the hull.

“I thought to myself, ‘What in the world am I doing here?’”

It was during his time on the Pondera that Tinnin suffered the hearing damage that plagues him to this day. He recalls the loud concussions that boomed through the ship when kamikaze planes would hit ships or the water nearby.

“His hearing loss is about 60 to 80 percent,” said his wife, Nancy.

Tinnin also suffers from persistent tremors and asbestosis, which he said is a result of being exposed to radiation in Nagasaki, Japan, where he was sent briefl y shortly after the city was the target of an atomic bomb in August 1945.

In addition to Japan, Tinnin was in China and Korea during his Navy years. He left the service in March 1946, and spent the next year or so getting his private pilot’s license – which he still maintains today.

Into the Air ForceIn 1947, Tinnin joined the Marines

for a four-year stint, including service in Korea. He returned briefly to the

Navy, then in 1952, he went into the Air Force. By that time, he was mar-ried and starting a family, and he said Air Force recruit-ers assured him that branch was more family-oriented.

Tinnin was sta-tioned for a time at Thule Air Force Base in Greenland, less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle.

“ B o b H o p e visited while I was there, and I was his driver,” he recalled. “We rode in an old

paddywagon. I told him, ‘Hey, that’s the best we’ve got.’”

Tinnin was there in 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis unfolded. He still gets visibly upset when he remembers that time.

“They scrambled all the planes out of there in a big hurry, and left us all stranded,” he said. “A jet went over fast enough to break the sound barrier, and when we heard the boom, we all just knew they had dropped a nuke on us.

“It was bad. When I heard about those fellows in Libya a couple of weeks

ago, I knew just how they felt. It’s wrong to do that, to just go off and leave them like that.”

It was around this time that Tinnin’s hearing loss became an issue. He was fi tted for hearing aids, and went on with his work.

“For about 10 years I met with physi-cal evaluation boards trying to kick me out,” he said. “It went all the way to the Secretary of the Air Force. “They guy there said, “With his war record, he can stay in another 20 years.”

But he only stayed in the Air Force until 1967, when he retired from the military after 22 years and 7 months of service. He received a number of medals and awards, including the Air Force Com-mendation Medal, three Bronze Stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. An “Entitle-ment of Awards” form issued in his name

from the National Archives shows him to be the recipient of numerous campaign ribbons, including those for his service in Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

Back to civilian lifeWhile in the Air Force, Tinnin had

served with the Air Police Investigation Service (APIS). That led to his getting a job with the Treasury Department as a revenue agent, a position he kept until he retired altogether in 1982.

Tinnin said he was contacted by the CIA and other government agencies to work for them, but family concerns and his own health issues kept him from pur-suing those options. His fi rst wife, Ann, died in 1987 after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis.

He and his wife, Nancy, whom he married in 1993, spend a lot of time deal-ing with his health problems. He has been treated for bladder cancer, undergoing a number of chemotherapy treatments; he has had pneumonia and pleurisy; he still has problems resulting from radiation

Three-war veteran recalls time in three military branches

In 1945, a newly minted sailor Carl Tinnin, center, with his sister, the late Betty, left, and brother, Dale Tinnin of Fredericktown.

Tinnin stationed in Thule Air Force Base in Greenland, less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle.

Tinnin today

See TINNIN, Page 13B


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103rd State Representative District

exposure more than 60 years ago.“I have a cadaver bone in my leg,”

he said, pulling up a pants leg to show a twisting scar from when his leg was crushed as a young man.

But it’s the mental toll of his expe-riences that has had the most impact. “He suffers from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder),” Nancy said. “He doesn’t sleep much.”

“I don’t like to talk about this stuff too much to people,” Tinnin said. “I don’t

Festus native Linda Rose, who now lives in Kansas, submitted a photo of her late father, Alfred “Jack” Young.

“I would like to honor his memory,” she said of her dad, a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps who died in 1980.

Jack Young was a 1942 graduate of Festus High School. He and a buddy from Crystal City, Earl Elliott, signed up at the same time but in different branches – Young in the Army and Elliott in the Marines. Young reported to Jefferson Barracks, then was sent to St. Petersburg, Fla., for training.

“His mom, stepdad and sister rode the Frisco Railroad’s ‘Sunnyland Express’ and joined him for Christmas that year,” Rose said. “Dad thought fi shing and swimming at the beach on Christmas day was real special.”

After basic training, Young was sent to the Army navigation cadet program at Santa Clara, Calif., to train as a navigator. He attended pre-fl ight school at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, Texas, then it was on to San Marcos Air Force Base for advanced training. He graduated in the spring of 1944, and was stationed at bases in Arizona, Nebraska and Kansas. Although his primary duty was navigating the aircraft, he learned a lot of additional skills and procedures.

“The war ended before he was sent overseas,” his daughter said. “He returned to Festus in the spring of 1946 and married Velma Douglas.”

The couple had two children, and Young spent his career working fi rst for the Frisco Railroad and, later on, the Armour chemical plant in Selma.

He died at age 58 following a battle

Festus man trained, but WWII ended before he shipped out

World War I veteran Ed Rose, front left, with several co-workers at Pittsburgh Plate Glass in Crystal City. The picture was published in PPG’s “Glass Rays” magazine.

with mesothelioma.“He was so proud of the time he spent

in the service,” Rose said. “I believe those were the best years of his life, and he always looked back fondly on them. He wanted to be buried at Jefferson Barracks, where it all started for him.

“Our family is proud of his service to our country and he will always hold a special place in our hearts.”

Ed Rose, World War IRose and her husband, Winsor Rose,

also sent in information about Winsor’s grandfather, a World War I veteran of the U.S. Army. Ed Rose had been a fi nisher in the casting hall at Pittsburgh Plate Glass in Crystal City until September 1917, when he was called up to serve in the Army.

Tinnin: Veteran doesn’t like to recall his experiences Continued from Page 12B

World War I veteran Ed Rose, front left, with several co-workers at Pittsburgh Plate

Childhood friends Earl Elliott, left, and Jack Young on Main Street in Festus while on leave in about 1943.

After seven months of training, his unit was shipped to Europe in a convoy of 17 ships, which zigzagged across the Atlantic trying to avoid attack by enemy submarines. Once in France, his unit was sent to the front and established a gun emplacement in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace.

An article in the Nov. 11, 1937, issue of “Glass Rays,” the PPG magazine, contained the following amusing account of Rose’s fi rst experience with enemy fi re:

“Having missed a bath for a few days, a friend and I decided that we would have a dip in the mountain stream nearby. That evening we were standing waist-deep in the water, soaping up plenty, when we heard the muffl ed roar of a cannon in the distance and shortly after, a terrifi c explosion right at us.

“Well, there were two soldiers who went into action! If you think you can get

a wet body into clothes and wet feet into boots when you are so scared you shake as if you had palsy, then you are just mistaken. It can’t be done. We gathered up our things under our arms and streaked for a dugout about three hundred yards away.

“We learned later that the Germans shelled this valley around six o’clock every evening.”

Ed Rose lived in Festus until his death in 1966.

like the way it gets me all emotional.”Despite all the problems that stem

from it, Tinnin says he has “no regrets” about his long military career. He enjoys meeting and talking with other three-war veterans.

“Since he was so young when he went in (the military) toward the end of the war, he’s one of the youngest veter-ans,” his wife said. “He’s the baby of the group.”

Looking back on his time in the ser-vice, Tinnin said, he still thinks it was the

right path for him.“I was very happy with my years in

the military,” he said. “I wanted to see the world, and I did. From one end to the other, I sure did.”


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By Laura MarlowFor the Leader

A gaily patterned scarf hangs on a rack above stacked rolls of plastic garbage bags. Christmas decora-

tions are ranged in rows near some offi ce supplies, while vintage glassware sits near a brand-new humidifi er.

Shoppers range from senior citizens to kindergartners, and almost all who come through drop at least a little change in the “Donations” jar on the checkout counter.

It’s business as usual at the Missouri Veterans Outlet at 517 E. Main in De Soto, the profi ts from which are turned over to the state Amvets organization to help fund its various programs.

“Were all about veterans helping veterans,” said Dave Maupin of De Soto, proprietor of the store and self-confessed “chief ramrod” behind the creation of the store and its efforts to expand.

Maupin, 71, is a Cold War veteran of the U.S. Army, and a life member of Amvets Post 48 in De Soto. He and some fellow local veterans, their wives and community volunteers operate the store, which is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The store has been open since Octo-ber 2010. Housed in a building formerly used as an ice house for the Duffner Ice Cream Co., its showrooms are a jumble of shelves, tables and racks, fi lled to bursting with every sort of object imaginable for sale, much of it new and all of it at well-below retail prices.

Boxes of metric sockets share space with glassware; a table displays wed-ding cake toppers on one end and picture frames on the other.

There are dance shoes and plumb-ing supplies; greeting cards and light bulbs; vintage dolls and circular saw blades. Stacks of used books line one wall and a spinning rack in the corner holds containers of new-in-package nuts, bolts and small tools. A basket near the checkout counter holds lipstick in doz-ens of shades.

“We have a little bit of everything,

Vets helping vetsDe Soto store staffed by volunteers; profi ts go to veterans

and at prices you wouldn’t believe,” Maupin said.

The store is handicap-accessi-ble, and offers close, level parking.“I know it’s hard for some people to get around in here,” Maupin said, surveying the crowded aisles of the store. “But this is all the space we have.”

The Amvets group pays $450 a month to rent the building, including a storage area in the back. It also has a unit in a storage locker facility a couple of blocks away.

“I take people back there if they want to take a look at the bigger items,” Maupin said. “Like furniture and stuff. We have a bedroom set back there, and an antique sewing machine. There’s an upright piano and a Hammond organ. We even have some lighting fi xtures.”

Every item for sale has been donated. Maupin said he started off small, when he and some friends heard of a truckload of new-in-package supplies that were available in Illinois from a manufac-

turing company that wishes to remain anonymous.

“I had a trailer, and we went over there and picked up a load of stuff,” he said. “We sold mostly by word of mouth; we had the stuff in a buddy’s garage.”

They decided to make it a full-time proposition, and have never looked back. They now have a truck deliver their do-nated retail goods, and local people are welcome to bring things by any time.

“Yard sales? Estate sales? Yeah, we’ll be glad to take your leftovers,” Maupin said. “One item, a truckload – we’ll take it.”

A constant turnover in stock means there is almost always something new on the shelves.

“I had a crate of fi shing tackle in the storage area, and to tell the truth, I had forgotten about it,” Maupin said. “I was going through some stuff and found it, and put it out for sale. It was all gone in just a couple of days. Word got around.”

Word-of-mouth is the best advertis-

ing, Maupin said.“We have a lot of regulars who come

in all the time,” he said. “Some are no longer with us, and I miss them. I don’t care if they buy anything; they’ll go and tell people, and send somebody else here and maybe they will buy.”

Maupin said the store is still strug-gling to show more than a small profi t.

“We just surviving,” he said. “We make enough to pay rent and cover the electric bill and the trash, but there’s not as much left over after that as we’d like. We donate, on average, about $350 a month right now.”

Maupin, who works for free, said

Laura Marlow photosCindy Varney of De Soto buys fl agpoles from Dave Maupin at the Missouri Veterans Outlet Store. “I didn’t know they had all this stuff,” Varney said. “I will defi nitely be back.”

The Missouri Veterans Outlet is at 517 E. Main in De Soto.

See OUTLET, Page 15B


All veterans, active duty and military families are invited to participate in the 5th Annual Veterans Day Parade!

The Parade Starts at 10 a.m. on Main Street, De SotoNovember 10, 2012

After the parade please come to the Luncheon and Resource Fair...parade participants, special guests, active duty, veterans

and families are invited to attend a special luncheon at theKnights of Columbus on Hwy. E in De Soto.

Tax deductible donations accepted through De Soto Community Foundation.

To enter the parade, the resource fair and to all veterans’ families for more information call Kay Kite 314-852-5485

FREE LUNCH, GAMES, PHOTOGRAPHY, RESOURCES AND GIVEAWAYS ARE PART OF THIS EVENT!

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Kelly Webb of Festus says her twin sons, Jackson and Tristan, are fascinated by their grandfather’s military service.

Webb’s father, Charles E. Abney, served with the Army’s 25th Infantry Division, known as “Tropic Lightning,” during the Vietnam War.

A longtime resident of Festus, Abney now lives in Farmington. He entered the service in 1969 at age 25, and did his basic training at Ford Ord, Calif. He then went to Fort Carson to train as a track mechanic for self-propelled Howitzer guns. He served in Cuchi in Vietnam until 1971 and attained the rank of Specialist 4.

“They boys are so proud of Papa Charley,” Webb said.

Grandsons admire ‘Papa Charley’

Charles Abney

he hopes more people will volunteer to help at the store, enabling him to expand operating hours.

All the profi ts go to the state Am-vets organization, which is keeping an eye on the operation, in hopes of pos-sibly opening more stores like it.

“Amvets has some national thrift stores, but none in Missouri,” Maupin said. “We are the only local-based store like this we know of.”

Amvets programs that benefi t from the store include Fisher House, a Ron-ald McDonald House-style facility for the families of veterans receiving treat-ment; for the spinal unit at Jefferson Barracks Medical Center; and Camp Hope, a recreation and rehabilitation facility for wounded veterans south of Farmington.

Maupin said he is grateful for the generosity of customers, even in these

Outlet: Donations are acceptedContinued from Page 14B trying economic times.

“People will buy $10 or $12 worth of stuff, then write us a check for $20,” he said. “It would be nice to get more traffi c through here, though. With the economy the way it is, you’d think people would want to take advantage of prices like these.”

On a recent Saturday afternoon, Amy Betz of De Soto and her mother, Patti Betz of House Springs, came by to drop off a van full of items. They unloaded tools, clothing, household supplies and collectibles.

“We found out about this place through a post on Craigslist,” Amy said. “We came shopping last weekend, and we were really impressed with the variety of stuff and the friendliness.”

“This place is great,” her mother added. “They have all kinds of goodies,”

For information on donating or volunteering, call Maupin at 636-586-2256.

Anna Marie Deters Rumping of Arnold had 10 brothers, nine of whom served with the U.S.

military during World War II and the Korean War.

Anna Marie was only 5 when her oldest brother left to fi ght in World War II. Eventually, the Deters family would see four sons – Charles, Paul, Leo and Luke – go to serve in the U.S. Navy dur-ing that confl ict.

During the Korean War, the brothers spread themselves out over the different branches of service. Norman was a Navy man, Richard a Marine and Elmer served with the Army. Harold served with the Army in Germany, and Joe enlisted in the Navy.

The Deters brothers served a total of more than 30 years in the military. Only one failed to return home safely: Luke, who enlisted at 17, was killed at sea in March 1943.

William Rumping, Anna Marie’s husband, also served in the U.S. Army. He was a military policeman during the Korean War.

Family sent nine brothers to serve

Anna Rumping with a photo board of her nine brothers, all of whom served in the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War.

Jane Rumping of Festus, Anna’s daughter-in-law, submitted the informa-tion for this story and took the photo of Anna with the board honoring her fam-ily’s military service.

Dennis Bible is using the lessons he learned as a young Marine more than 40 years ago to help heal his

brothers-in-arms today.Bible, 66, of Imperial volunteers

at the Midwest Marine Foundation in Augusta, a facility that helps wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen returning from deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan with the challenges they face as they ac-climate back to civilian life.

Jennifer Bible sent in the information about her husband, who is set to retire later this month from his job as public works director for the city of Ladue. The two met in 1967 while he was stationed at a U.S. naval base in Memphis, Tenn.

Dennis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1966, and trained in California before being assigned to military police duty at a naval base in Pennsylvania. He also served with a body escort detail based in Dover, Del, which escorted the bodies of fallen Marines home from battle to their fi nal resting place. He calls that a “humbling and honorable experience.”

Bible served a four-year tour of duty in Vietnam before being honorably dis-charged with the rank of sergeant in 1970 and has spent the 42 years since working for the city of Ladue.

Dennis serves as commandant of the Marine Corps League Jeffco Detachment in Arnold and is an active member of the Arnold VFW Post 2593.

“He’s always trying to get people to join the Marine Corps League,” his wife said. “He wears his Marine Corps VFW

hat everywhere – he’s like a walking billboard.”

Dennis and the other members of the league are intent on getting younger veterans interested in the organization.

He meets many of them through his work with the Midwest Marine Founda-tion. Four times a year, a group of 30 wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen come to spend a week with volunteers like Dennis Bible.

Jennifer Bible said the older veterans use their wartime experiences to help mentor the younger Marines.

“So many of these young guys come back and are thrown into everyday life,” she said. “They can have a problem ad-justing to that. These older guys, who’ve also seen active duty in combat, can talk to them, help them, or even just under-stand what these young men are going through.” Visit www.mcleague.com.

Older veterans reach out to young Marines

Dennis Bible at Marble Mountain, outside Da Nang, Vietnam, in 1969


To All VeteransIt Is My Honor To Serve You.

Paid for by Friends of Ryan McKenna, Pat Lamping, Treasurer.

RyanMcKenna

Missouri State Senator District 22

We can never repay the debt of gratitude owed to ournation's veterans. Thank you for your service!

Bob Woodland of Festus submit-ted a tribute to his brother, Leon Woodland, a Horine native who

now lives in Watson, Ill. Leon was 16 years old and a recent graduate of Hercu-laneum High School in 1942 when he, his brother Donald, and pals Gilbert and John Wegman headed to St. Louis to enlist. The following account is in Leon’s words.

“I was sent home due to my age,” Leon said. “Mom reluctantly signed permission for me to enlist in January 1943.”

He was loaded on a troop train and shipped off to Idaho.

“ E x t r e m e l y cold!” he remem-bers. “After a cou-ple of other bases and several special-ized trainings, I requested sea duty.”

Leon was assigned to the USS Airdne in the Pacifi c. The ship ran silently, and with no lights, in an effort to catch dis-abled Japanese submarines. After the surrender, his unit was transferred to the Atlantic; they traveled through the Panama Canal to their new base in Key West, Fla.

Leon recalls one particular search-and-rescue mission

“We were ordered to the Triangle, off Cuba, as a hurricane approached,” he said.

Horine native, 16, needed mom’s permission to head off to war

Leon Woodland with his World War II navy uniform.

The Navy had PBY amphibious craft searching from the air, and Woodland’s ship running “square outs” – search pat-terns – in 30-to 40-foot waves. His ship was searching for a downed raft with fi ve men in it.

“They had been in the water several days, and were starving,” he said. “The raft was spotted, but the ship could not get close. The captain decided to lay dead in

the water, and we fi -nally drifted the fan tail close enough.

“Another sailor and myself hung over the side of the ship to try and grab the outstretched arms of the men on the raft. The ma-jor problem was swells; we had to grab for them as the

ship rolled down and the raft rose up.”The sailors were able to pull all fi ve men to safety.

“The executive offi cer was standing on the bridge, and he told us we would get citations,” Leon said. “But that never happened.”

Despite not receiving a commen-dation for the rescue, Leon said it was among the many special memories he has of his time in the service. “I was honor-ably discharged in 1946,” he said. “I am proud of the time I served and carry many memories with me to this day.”

“I am proud of the time I served and carry many memories with me to this day.”

Leon WoodlandHorine

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Veterans special section