Posts Tagged ‘Veteran of the Month’
Samuel J. Hughes: Veteran of the Month | April 2024
Samuel Jefferson Hughes, named after his grandfathers, was born in St. Louis in 1947. He is the oldest of two boys. His family never stayed in one place very long. Hughes laughed, saying, “We moved a lot; we were gypsies, I guess.” They always lived in the St. Louis area, but he estimates he moved…
Read MoreGlenn Schmidt: Veteran of the Month | March 2024
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,…
Read MoreLeon Schell: Veteran of the Month | January 2024
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…
Read MoreJim Hubbard: Veteran of the Month | December 2023
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…
Read MoreJon Moore: Veteran of the Month | November 2023
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…
Read MoreWilliam Peterson: Veteran of the Month | October 2023
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,…
Read MoreDwight Henry: Veteran of the Month | September 2023
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,…
Read MoreLarry G. Smith: Veteran of the Month | August 2023
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…
Read MoreClarence Joseph Davis: Veteran of the Month | July 2023
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…
Read MoreJim Smith: Veteran of the Month | June 2023
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,…
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