Glenn Schmidt was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in September 1941. He is the oldest among his four siblings. His family has some Pennsylvania Dutch roots and a long history of farming. When Schmidt was nine years old, his father moved the family to Philadelphia, PA, which he wasn’t initially happy about. At a young age,…

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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…

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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…

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  On November 10th, VCC employees had the fortunate opportunity to step away from their desks and visit the Veterans and surviving spouses whom we are honored to assist daily. A team of eleven VCC members took to the streets, connecting with ten clients in the St. Louis area, including a 96-year-old WWII Veteran and…

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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…

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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,…

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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,…

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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…

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    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…

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  Veterans of all ages are affected by PTSD. A variety of therapeutic and appreciation-focused programs aim to provide closure by connecting veterans with each other and their larger communities. Closure, from a psychological standpoint, is defined as “any interaction, information, or practice that allows a person to feel that a traumatic event has been…

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