A Missouri Air National Guardsman from Union Star in northwest Missouri has received one of the military’s top awards. Tech Sergeant John Temple received the Bronze Star for his work in Iraq – most notably for getting commandeered Iraqi vehicles up and running until American supplies could arrive. He’s humble in his own evaluation of what he did. But his commander in Iraq, Major Tom Shetter, says Temple is the kind of man he knew he could depend on. Temple is best known for his “Franken-truck” – made out of the salvaged parts of several Russian-made vehicles with a generator starter to get the engine going. His father, Rick Temple, says his son was always taking apart clocks and other stuff to see how they work. Temple’s mother says she was scared to death when he shipped out for the Middle East, and even more worried when he came back and she found out just how dangerous his job was.
