Show-Me Heros Salute

7/28/2019 Show-Me Heros Salute

1/12

photo courtesy of American Veterans Traveling Tribute

SHOW meHerO Salute

this pog podcd by

Traveling Vietnam Wall on the campusofLindbergh High School

June 13 16, 2013

The City of Sunset Hills would like to thank

all the Vietnam Veterans

for their service and dedicaon

to our country.

www.sunset-hills.com 314.842.7265

The City of Crestwoodwould like to thank all theVietnam Veterans for theirService and Dedicationto our Country


2/12

2 South County Times www.show-meherosalute.orgSHOWHme HerO Salute

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www.show-meherosalute.org South County Times 3

The Traveling Wallhas made stops acrossthe nation and servesto educate, inspire andto provide a place forhealing for all thosewho visit. The Wallis an 80 percent scalemodel of the Vietnam

Veterans Memorialin Washington, D.C.,which honors U.S.Service members andarmed forces who diedor who were missingin action in the serviceof their country. Morethan 58,000 namesare etched into thememorial wall.

Wednesday, June 12The traveling wall arrives on the afternoon of June 12, escort-ed by a motorcade of vehicles, motorcycles and honor guard.

4 p.m. WallarriveswithescortatLindberghHigh School,5000S.LindberghBlvd.5 p.m. WelcomebyLt.EdwardSweeney,Jr.

U. S. Army, Ret.

Thursday, June 136 p.m. Welcome-ButchThomas,presidentofSunset HillsHistoricalSociety MasterofCeremonies-DonCorrigan,editor, Webster-KirkwoodTimes, SouthCounty TimesandWestEndWord ChaplainNorbertButzofMarineCorpsLeague PostingoftheColors-MarineCorpsLeague Cannononsi tewithcrewat attention PresentationoftheNationalAnthemby RichardConners,Vietnamveteran MedleyofPatrioticSongsbytheLindberghHigh SchoolMarchingBand, underthedirection ofDavidWeiss IntroductionofDr. JamesSimpson, superintendent,LindberghSchoolDistrict IntroductionofSunsetHillsMayorBillNolan IntroductionofGovernorJayNixon(tentative) KeynoteSpeakerJosephFrank BenedictionbyChaplainNorbertButz;Taps, MarineCorpsLeague

Friday, June 146 p.m. Welcome-ButchThomas,presidentofSunset HillsHistoricalSociety MasterofCeremonies-AnneAllred,KSDK-TV PostingofColors-AmericanLegionPost208 10thDistrict NationalAnthem-LindberghHighSchool StrollingStrings;ChaplainInvocation KeynoteSpeaker-CharlieDooley,St.Louis CountyexecutiveandVietnamveteran RetiretheColors-AmericanLegionPost208 10thDistrict BenedictionbyChaplainDavidHoward

saTurday, June 156 p.m. Welcome-ButchThomas,presidentofSunset HillsHistoricalSociety MasterofCeremonies- MartinKilycoyne, KTRSRadio RemarksbyCrestwoodMayorJeff Schlink

PostingofColors-St.LouisServiceWomens Post404ColorGuard NationalAnthem,PatrioticSongs-Concord SchoolFlyers,4th&5thgradechoir,underthe directionofValerieCreech Invocation-ChaplainMarianWhiteld,Air Force,St.LouisServiceWomensPost 404 KeynoteSpeaker- JudgeCharlesBerry, Vietnamveteran CongresswomanAnnWagner, 2ndDistrict Presentation-KatieMelies,presidentofGold StarMothers&Children;LindaHobkirk MemorialtoeightwomenlistedontheWall- ServiceVeteransPost404 Last RollCall; FallenSoldierDisplay Benediction- ChaplainMarianWhiteld ThreeVolleySalute- Post404Mil itary

FuneralHonorsTeam;Taps,MaryWeber RetrievalofColors-Post404ColorGuard

sunday, June 16Noon Welcome-ButchThomas,presidentofSunset HillsHistoricalSociety MasterofCeremonies-KevinKilleen,KMOX

Radio RemarksbyFentonMayorMikePolizzi PostingofColors-St.LouisServiceWomens Post404ColorGuard NationalAnthem-NicoleMoore,violinsolo Invocation-ChaplainFatherJosephA.Weber, U.S.AirForce-retiredcolonel;ParishPriestSt. JustinMartyr GuestSpeaker-WalterCrawfordJr.,executive directoroftheWildBirdSanctuary

Benediction-ChaplainFatherJosephA.Weber HonorGuard-AmericanLegionPost162, LemayMemorialPost

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4/12

4 South County Times www.show-meherosalute.org

The AmericanVeterans TravelingTribute Vietnam Wallcomes to St. LouisCounty largely

due to the eortso the Sunset HillsHistorical Society,many businesses andcivic organizationsand with a big assistrom local veteransgroups. Knownas the Show-Me

Hero Salute, aplanning committeeormed in January.The intention is topresent a digniedlocal memorialrespecting those whoserved, and thosewho served anddidnt return home.

by Joe LeichtRosann Shannon o Crestwood has

done the logistical juggling or more thana dozen parades in the South St. LouisCounty area. But the queue o vehicles,veterans and dignitaries assigned to leadthe American Veterans Traveling TributeVietnam Wall to Lindbergh High Schooldoes not constitute a parade.

It is denitely not a parade becauseo the solemnity o the event. Itsreerred to as an escort, Shannon said,emphatically. There wont be foats or300 to 400 vehicles. Thats not what thisis about.

The escort will assemble near theSocial Security oce, 8800 Watson Road(just east o Grant Road), beginning at2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12. The

escort will depart by 3:30 p.m.It will travel west on Watson Road and

turn south onto Lindbergh Boulevard.The escort should arrive at LindberghHigh School by 4 p.m. The Wall will beon display June 13-16.

All those involved in the Show-MeHero Salute are serious about preservingthe dignity o the procession, and theevents that ollow.

Youre not going to have individualsin cheerleader outts. Nobody witha calliope is going to be selling snowcones, said Tom Ford, the tributes honorcommittee chairman and a member oVietnam Veterans o America Chapter1028. The general rule is i you wouldnt

do it at the Tomb o the UnknownSoldier, youre not going to do it here.

Lt. Edward Sweeney Jr., U.S. Army,

Ret., will pronounce the ocial welcome,then volunteers will set about erecting thetents and the displays or the ollowingdays ocial opening.

Shannon said veterans groups rom agrowing list o municipalities, includingCrestwood, Sunset Hills, Shrewsbury,Fenton, Eureka, St. Peters and more, plusmore than 100 conrmed motorcyclists,will participate.

The American Veterans TravelingTribute Vietnam Wall comes to townthrough the sponsorship o the SunsetHills Historical Society. The wall is an 80-percent replica o the Vietnam Memorial

in Washington, D.C., and is inscribedwith the same 58,000 names.

The display will be set up as a

cooperative eort among the veterans,Boy Scouts o America, LindberghHigh School students and many othervolunteers. It will remain open June 13-16, day and night.

Its a healing situation or pretty mucheverybody. And there are a lot o peoplewho dont want to grieve in ront oeverybody else, said Ford. They mightwant to be here at three in the morning,thats why the tents wi ll be open 24/7.

Again, its not a parade, Shannonsaid. But I hope people will turn outand line Watson and Lindbergh as theescort passes. The stories o some o the

veterans and the entire idea o the Wallhas touched my heart.

Escort To Lead Vietnam WallTo Lindbergh High On June 12

photo courtesy of American Veterans Traveling Tribute

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5/12

www.show-meherosalute.org South County Times 5SHOWHme HerO Salute

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by Joe Leicht

The majestic bird that symbolizesthe American spirit is slated to takewing on the last o our days dedi-cated to remembering veterans whoserved in Vietnam.

Walter Craword Jr. is dedicatedto preserving these winged wonders.He is also committed to ensuring thatthe sometimes under-appreciatedsacrices o Americans who served inthe Vietnam War are not orgotten.

At noon on Sunday, June 16, hellindulge both o those passions as oneo the speakers at the American Vet-erans Traveling Tribute Vietnam Wallat Lindbergh High School, 5000 S.Lindbergh Blvd.

Craword, who is executive direc-tor o the World Bird Sanctuary in

Valley Park, served in Vietnam rom1968 through 1969. Like his name-sake ather, he is a U.S. Army man.In 2012, he was honored by Mis-souri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder as Distin-guished Veteran o the Year.

He holds a bachelors degree romSoutheast Missouri State Universityand a masters degree rom Mississip-pi State University. He is also ounderand vice president o the National

Wildlie Rehabilitators Associationand past president o the Interna-tional Association o Avian Trainersand Educators.

Craword said he is still work-ing on his speech or the Wall, Butwhenever Ive had the opportunity,

my theme is always pro-America.

Remembering the countrys militaryheritage, I will tailor my speech to theoccasion. I havent been able to makeit to the Wall in Washington, D.C., sothis will be a humbling experience. Iappreciate the Sunset Hills HistoricalSociety or setting this up.

I think every one o us sit andthink about our Vietnam experienc-es, whether you acknowledge it ornot. Its with you every night whenyou go to bed. I have a lot o riendsand buddies names on that Wall. Iwant to try to honor our brotherswhenever and wherever we can,said Craword.

The Vietnam War wasnt a cut

and dry situation. Some, not most,maybe looked down on us, especiallyi theyre World War II veterans. Theywon their war. We just did what wehad to do, Craword said.

Weather permitting, Craword willbring two bald eagles to the remem-brance to accompany his speech.Theyre our national symbol. Theyreour most popular bird and especiallyappropriate or this occasion.

Craword resides near the WorldBird Sanctuary in Valley Park and isa member o several area veterans or-ganizations.

Days and times or the manyspeeches and presentations that will

comprise the our-day remembranceare listed in the program on page 3.

Wildlife Biologist, DistinguishedVeteran, To Speak At Wall June 16

I think every one of us sit and think

about our Vietnam experiences, whether you

acknowledge it or not. Its with you every night

when you go to bed. I have a lot of friends and

buddies names on that Wall.

Walter Crawford Jr.

photo by Diana Linsley

More than 58,000 namesare etched into the Wall.

The largest age group on

the Wall is 18 years old 33,103. Twelve soldiers on the

wall were 17 years old. Five soldiers who died in

the confict were just 16 yearsold.

One soldier, PFC DanBullock, was 15.

Perhaps even morestartling than the loss o DanBullock at 15:

- 997 soldiers were killed

on their rst day in Vietnam;- 1,448 soldiers were killedon their last day in Vietnam;

- 31 sets o brothers are onthe Wall.

And, o course, that means31 sets o parents lost twosons in the Vietnam War.The names on the Wall arearranged in the order inwhich they were taken romus by date, and within eachdate are alphabetized. It is

hard to believe that we areapproaching 40 years sincethe last casualty.

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7/12

www.show-meherosalute.org South County Times 7

Morris L. Butch Thomas, presidento the Sunset Hills Historical Society, isimpressed by the number o local civicand veterans groups that joined in the e-ort to bring the American Veterans Trav-

eling Tribute Wall to St. Louis.Our Show-Me Hero Salute commit-

tee grew in size with every week since itsstart in January. We are genuinely grati-fed by the number o civic and veteransgroups who have eagerly joined in thiseort to show our Vietnam veterans, andall veterans, that they are never orgottenand they are always appreciated, saidThomas, who is chairing the event.

Every day the Wall is here will bememorable, beginning Wednesday, June12, when the wall arrives and an escortmotorcade travels through Crestwood on

Watson Road, noted Thomas. Then itwill travel down South Lindbergh to thehigh school where there will be a cannon

volley welcome. On Thursday, there willbe music and a patriotic program andmany notables including local mayors,county ofcials, legislators and leadersin state government.

Thomas said the daily programs willbe short, as the major unction o thewall will be to create a solemn, reverentand meditative site.

Chaplains will be available or visi-tors as needed. St. Anthonys MedicalCenter will provide a First-Aid acilityon site. Computers will be available andassistance given to help visitors to thescale-model memorial locate the nameso their loved ones on the various panelso the Wall.

The Show-Me Hero Salute has sched-uled special events (see schedule, page3), but the Wall will be available or visi-

tation 24 hours a day until the closingceremony at noon on Sunday, June 16.

Two generations ago, America ound

itsel embroiled in the hottest war othe Cold War era in Southeast Asia. TheVietnam Wall documents the Americanloss o lie in a war that is generally re-corded as lasting rom 1959 through theall o Saigon in 1975. This year marksa series o 50th anniversaries in the in-tensifcation o the war and an increasein Americas presence in Vietnam andSoutheast Asia.

This is an ongoing event that is hap-pening now and will not simply endwhen the Wall comes down on Sunday,

June 16, said Thomas. We welcomethose who have a story to tell to do soat the Traveling Tribute Vietnam Wall.This is a community event that is ree

and open to the public and we are goingto do our best to live up to our theme:Honor, Respect, Remember.

Civic, Veteran Groups Join RanksIn Organizing Traveling Wall Event

photo courtesy ofAmerican Veterans Traveling Tribute

SHOWHme HerO Salute

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PROUD SPONSORSof the

Show-Me Hero Salute

Generals($5,000 or more)St. Louis County Economic Council (Port Authority)Webster-Kirkwood Times/South County TimesSt. Louis County Police DepartmentKingston ElectricCarpenters District Council of Greater St. Louis

Lindbergh Schools

Colonels ($1,000 or more)

Sunset Hills Historical SocietyAl & Bette Moore

Missouri Humanities CouncilVietnam Veterans of America Chapter 611 Bevo

AT&TVietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1028

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The Home Depot

WalgreensCity of Sunset HillsCity of Crestwood

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Majors($500 or more)Sunset Hills Mayor Bill NolanButch and Linda ThomasCrestwood Sunset Hills Rotary ClubJoyce and Glen FranklinFrank A. HardyKirkwood Amvets Memorial Post 1

South St. Louis Marine Corps League Chapter 183Laborers International Union of North AmericaPvt. George Phillips Detachment Marine Corps LeagueAmerican Legion Post 162 LemayAmerican Legion Post 400 FentonSaale ChiropracticHoliday Inn SouthSappington-Concord Historical Society

(Donation may include in-kind goods and services.

For a more complete listing of all contributors, visit show-meherosalute.org)


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by Alice DunawayFor Honorable Judge Edward Sweeney,

the arrival o the American Veterans Trav-

eling Tribute Wall to St. Louis County ismore than an event its ulllment o amission. Sweeney, himsel a Vietnam vet-eran, served on a committee to raise undsto build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in

Washington, D.C.Sweeney will speak at the Traveling

Wall site at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June12. He said the Traveling Wall is a greatopportunity or those who cant travel to

Washington to see the Vietnam VeteransMemorial on the National Mall.

Millions served in the war. Some inVietnam, some in the Navy o the coast,some in the Air Force. All o those people amily members, and those aected can go see this traveling Wall, Sweeney

said.The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

(VVMF), a nonprot, charitable organiza-tion, began in 1979 ater Congress reusedto publicly und the memorial. VVMFraised $8.4 million in private donationsrom more than 275,000 individuals, vet-eran organizations and committees, busi-nesses and unions.

We had a group here in St. Louis thatput together an eort to raise money orthe memorial, Sweeney said.

Local committees did not have any in-put into the design o the memorial. ButSweeney said the controversial chosen de-sign did make it dicult to raise unds.

To satisy contributors, a statue with

three soldiers carrying inantry weaponswas added to the Vietnam Veterans Memo-rial in Washington, D.C.

The memorial should not be just tothose who died, but all o those who didtheir duty to their country, Sweeney said.

Most veterans wanted to orget the warand to put it in the past. I think the actthat there is a memorial does something tohonor those who served their country.

The Wall has a lot o meaning orSweeney, who spent a year in Vietnamwith the 101st Airborne Division.

I think, in many ways, the Wall speaksor itsel, Sweeney said. I look at the Walland I see names o kids rom my kinder-garten and grade school. I see the nameo a kid I went to high school with whoplayed ootball up there. I see the names okids rom the Army on the Wall.

Sweeney attended the University oMissouri-Columbia, where he majoredin political science and participated in

ROTC. He graduated in 1969 and spent ayear in the U.S. Army beore being calledto active duty in Vietnam. He was one othe oldest men in his unit.

Sweeney saw action in the northern-most region o South Vietnam, close to thedemilitarized zone that bordered North

Vietnam. He spent most o his time onrebases, with the goal to protect the

Vietnamese people.Firebases were positioned to protect

the people, Sweeney said. As with thetroops today, you dont know who is theenemy until they do something hostile. Itsnot good psychologically.

Much o Sweeneys experience was in-fuenced by his location in Vietnam.

I spent most o my time stationed onrebases. The ew civilians near us werethe Montagnard, who were a more primi-

tive, tribal people. We were in the moun-tains that, i they werent deoliated, weremostly jungle, Sweeney said. My expe-

rience was much dierent than someonewho was stationed near a village or was ina swampy area.

Sweeney respected the men with whomhe served.

The favor o camaraderie was mademuch more valuable because you did havepeople rom all walks o lie, Sweeneysaid.

During his year in Vietnam, Sweeneysaw a number o celebrities as they stoppedo to entertain troops.

I saw Bob Hope right beore Christmas.I took a number o soldiers rom my unit.Some people got to go and some peoplehad to stay back. I was lucky to take someo my men to the show, Sweeney said.

We got there early and we were ortunateto get a good seat. It was right at the endo monsoon season, but the weather wasclear and perect, and the show went onwithout a hitch.

Ater his time in Vietnam, Sweeney im-mediately went to law school.

I knew I wanted to go to law schoolin college. I lled out my application in

Vietnam and I got my acceptance whenI was still there, Sweeney said. It wasvery helpul that I had that goal. It gaveme something to immerse mysel in whenI returned.

Once home, Sweeney returned to theUniversity o Missouri-Columbia wherehe earned his law degree. He served as a

Missouri legislator rom 1975-1980. In1997, he was appointed an associate cir-cuit judge or the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

Voters retained him in 1998 and 2002. Hewas appointed a circuit judge in January2005.

Sweeney said he has made it his goalto make sure that no one orgets why theyenjoy the reedoms they do.

My service is something I will neverorget and something I am proud o,Sweeney said. I tell every jury at the endo every case that we take our rights orgranted. Its good to remind people we areenjoying rights because o the willingness

o veterans.

Honorable Judge Edward Sweeneyphoto by Diana Linsley

Judge Edward Sweeney Helped Raise Funds ForVietnam Veterans Memorial In Nations Capital

SHOWHme HerO Salute

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A Saluteto our

Heroes

Donelson Cycles, Inc.The Motorcycle People

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Never forget.ThankyouToall

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We thank the active,retired and fallen

men and womenin uniform for theirservice to our country.


11/12


by Megan FavignanoWhen Guy Leonard joined the U.S.

Marine Corps., he didnt know he would

be assigned to the battalion nicknamedThe Walking Dead.

Everywhere they went they got into abig ght, Leonard said.

Leonard joined the U.S. Marinesand attended boot camp whenhe was 18 years old. He saidhe did it because he wantedto experience somethingnew. He saw the militaryrecruiters in downtown St.Louis on his way to workone day and decided on thespot to sign up.

I was hanging around some othe wrong people and decided to dosomething dierent, Leonard said.

He said his amily was surprised byhis decision since he hadnt talked about

joining the military beore signing up.Leonard said the thought o joining hadcrossed his mind previously but not in asignicant way.

Leonard was assigned to the 1stBattalion o the 9th Marines, whichsomeone at the time told him they calledthe dying nine.

When the time came to go to Vietnamin 1967, Leonard said he was excited butalso anxious.

Probably in the back o my mind, Iwas a little bit apprehensive, he said.Because you know people get killed andits your turn (to ght).

Leonard surv ived the battles he ought,the biggest being that o Khe Sanh in1968. One battalion o the 9th Marineswas called in to help at a U.S. combat basenear the Khe Sanh perimeter in Vietnam.North Vietnamese military attempted toblock them and attacked the combat base.Leonard said the battle started around 4in the morning and lasted until around9 a.m. A little less than hal o the 64marines in that battle died. Leonard wasinjured three times by shrapnel.

Once he had been injured, he wentinto a bunker on the hill with anotherMarine.

I was gross. Both my eyes, blood wascoming out o everything, Leonard said.

Leonard said when he realized how

injured he was, he started going into shock.He received a morphine shot. Fiteenminutes later, the battle ended. Leonardwas sent to a hospital to recover.

I saw mysel in the mirror andit didnt even look like me. Theside o my ace was all burnt,Leonard said.

His injuries sent him back tothe United States and out owar or about eight months.He spent the majority o

his recovery in a hospital inMemphis, Tenn.

Ater being released rom the hospital,Leonard ended up in North Carolina atCamp Lejeune. While there, he worked a

typical business day, printing maps. Atera ew months, he was sent to Cuba to besecurity at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.Leonard said he enjoyed talking to theyounger Marines working security at thebase.

I was teaching the young guys thathadnt been to Vietnam things aboutcombat situations, Leonard said. Theycan only teach you so much stu in bootcamp.

Leonard ended up back in St. Louisin 1970. When he came back, he said heremembers the city still seeming amiliarto him. His time in the Marines inspiredhis younger brother Roger to join themilitary when he was old enough to do so

in the mid-1970s.Leonard likens being a Vietnam

veteran and a member o the 1st Battaliono the 9th Marines to being in anexclusive club. He said veterans alwaysacknowledge one another.

With the Vietnam Veterans MemorialWall coming to St. Louis, veterans willhave the opportunity to see one anotherand refect. Leonard said he likes seeingthe wall travel around the country.

A lot o people cant aord or take thetime to get to Washington, D.C., to see the

Vietnam Memorial Wall there, Leonardsaid.

Vietnam Vet RefectsOn The Walking Dead

We Appreciate our Vietnam Veteransand Their Families

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With sincerest gratitude

and respect or all

American military men

& women o the past,

present, and uture

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Lions Club

Thanks you

or your sacrifce and

service to our nation.

With sincerest gratitude

and respect or all

American military men

& women o the past,

present, and uture

The Webster Groves

Lions Club

Thanks you

or your sacrifce and

service to our nation.


12/12


A Salutt ourArmed

ForcA Complete Heating, Ventilation and Cooling Company for 5 Generations

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In memory of our

Brothers and Sisters

who gave theUltimate Sacrifice

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Our Hearts are withthe Men and Women

Who Served our Country

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