Read About Our Veteran of the Month

Salvatore Balletto: Veteran of the Month | November 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Nov 13, 2024 | Comments Off on Salvatore Balletto: Veteran of the Month | November 2024

Born in 1942 as the son of an Italian immigrant, Balletto grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was from Sicily, and his mother was from Ohio. After graduating from John Adams High School, he became interested in cars. He started building and racing cars on the track at Dragway 42 in Ohio. He described…

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Michael Hayes: Veteran of the Month | October 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Oct 12, 2024 | Comments Off on Michael Hayes: Veteran of the Month | October 2024

Hayes was born and raised in a small farming town in Iowa as the youngest of four children, with two older sisters and one older brother. He spent his childhood playing in the fields and has fond memories of getting lost in the woods for hours while hunting with his dog. Helping out in his…

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David Ickes: Veteran of the Month | September 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Sep 13, 2024 | Comments Off on David Ickes: Veteran of the Month | September 2024

Ickes grew up in rural northwest Ohio, spending much of his childhood on a farm. As an only child, he filled his days with outdoor activities such as fishing, target shooting, and hunting for Indian artifacts. He was also passionate about coin collecting and was involved in the Future Farmers of America (FFA), where he…

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Ronald H. Cox: Veteran of the Month | August 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Aug 12, 2024 | Comments Off on Ronald H. Cox: Veteran of the Month | August 2024

Ronald H. Cox was born in January 1943 and raised in a middle-class family in the Saint Louis area. As the oldest of three children, Cox experienced a typical middle-class upbringing. He fondly recalls growing up with fun memories of boating, family vacations, and participating in activities typical of middle-class families. Due to his mother’s…

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Veteran of the Month: James “Bob” Laizure | July 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Jul 2, 2024 | Comments Off on Veteran of the Month: James “Bob” Laizure | July 2024

James Robert Laizure was born on his family’s farm in Cherokee County, Kansas, in 1924. Laizure, who went by Bob his entire life, is the oldest of seven siblings, all born in their home. Laizure explained that whenever a new sibling was going to arrive, the children were sent to wait in the barn while…

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Wilburn “Bill” Williford: Veteran of the Month | May 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | May 13, 2024 | Comments Off on Wilburn “Bill” Williford: Veteran of the Month | May 2024

Wilburn “Bill” Williford was the oldest child among seven siblings. He was born in Whitten, Arkansas, in 1917, but his family later moved to the Bootheel of Missouri to search for better employment opportunities. His father worked various odd jobs to support the family, and when Williford was only 7 or 8 years old, he…

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Samuel J. Hughes: Veteran of the Month | April 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Apr 12, 2024 | Comments Off on 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…

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Glenn Schmidt: Veteran of the Month | March 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Mar 14, 2024 | Comments Off on Glenn 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,…

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Leon Schell: Veteran of the Month | January 2024

By Jamie Gianopulos | Jan 12, 2024 | Comments Off on Leon 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…

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Jim Hubbard: Veteran of the Month | December 2023

By Jamie Gianopulos | Dec 14, 2023 | Comments Off on Jim 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…

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