Veteran of the Month Archives | Page 3 of 7 | Veterans Care Coordination™

Veteran of the Month January 2024: Leon Schell, sepia portrait of a young man in a suit and tie

Robert Leon Schell was born in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky, in 1927. He preferred to go by Leon, as his mother never wanted him to be called Bobby. Schell had an older sister with whom he shared a very close bond. His father worked at a woodworking plant that, at one point, produced wooden…

Veteran of the Month December 2023: Jim Hubbard in Marine Corps dress uniform

Jim Hubbard was born and raised in north Saint Louis County, the second oldest of three sisters and two brothers. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a skilled sous chef at Westwood Country Club, who also worked at McDonald Douglas during the Mercury program. The perks of his father’s occupation occasionally translated…

Veteran of the Month November 2023: Jon Moore, shaking hands in Navy uniform

Jon Moore was raised in a typical Red Oak, Iowa household. His father, an electrician, was also a radio instructor during WWII. Moore and his younger brother grew up in town, and when they weren’t in the community pool a few blocks from their house, you could find them playing sandlot baseball or football. After…

Veteran of the Month October 2023: William Peterson in an Air Force portrait, smiling with glasses

William Peterson was born on October 11, 1933, on a ranch in Corning, California. He was the youngest of four children, with two older brothers and one sister. Growing up on the ranch, his parents had three almond orchards and an olive grove. Young Peterson was raised in an environment of hard work and responsibility,…

Veteran of the Month September 2023: Dwight Henry

Dwight Henry, born in May 1950, was the middle child among seven siblings. His upbringing in Jackson, Mississippi, unfolded against a tumultuous era for African Americans. Yet, he was unwavering in his commitment to pursuing a peaceful path. Henry grew up loving music and had an early sense of responsibility. He started assisting with babysitting,…

Veteran of the Month August 2023: Larry G. Smith, shown in Army portraits and holding a large bass

Larry Gene Smith was born in April of 1947 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and raised as the oldest child in his family. The Smith family was no stranger to tragedy. Even before Smith’s birth, they had experienced the devastating loss of his older brother, who tragically died at five years old after being hit by…

Veteran of the Month July 2023: Clarence Davis, in a young Army portrait and a recent photo

Clarence Davis, a Vietnam veteran, was born in 1954 as the second youngest of seven children in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Growing up, his father worked as a truck driver, frequently relocating the family throughout the northeastern region of the United States. As a young boy, Davis developed a love for fishing and…

Veteran of the Month Jim Smith: two black-and-white photos of him aboard a Navy ship, over an American flag

Jim Smith was born in November of 1948 in the small town of Rayville, Louisiana. He grew up with one sister, surrounded by nature’s beauty, and developed a love for hunting at an early age. Smith grew up in town, where his father worked at a local paper mill. When Smith was a teen,…

Veteran of the Month Greg Hendricks smiling in a Vietnam Veteran cap, sunglasses and lanyard, over an American flag

Greg Hendricks was born in St. Louis County in 1950 and raised in St. Charles, MO, just west of the Missouri River. He was the second oldest of four boys. Hendricks stated, “I consider myself a homegrown tomato. I don’t know anything but St. Charles.” Growing up, Hendricks loved all sports but had a passion…

Surviving Spouse of the Month Helen Bandyke: an old black-and-white portrait beside her smiling with pink roses, over an American flag

Helen Bandyke was the youngest of three daughters born in Detroit, MI. At the age of 15, she lost her mother. Since she was eight years younger than her closest sister, she was the only daughter at home. Her father was a teamster that delivered bricks for a local brickyard. Back then, teamster referred to…