Military Archives - Missourinet

(AUDIO) Missouri World War II Army veteran honored at annual military event

August 12, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Hundreds attended the 10th annual Military Appreciation Day on Sunday at the State Fair in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia. Several uniformed soldiers showed up, along with veterans, family members, friends, Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, National Guard Adjutant General Levon Cumpton and several patriot guard motorcycle riders.

Military Appreciation Day 2019 at the Missouri State Fair

Among those recognized at the event was a 98-year-old World War II veteran from Jefferson City. Charles Foster served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 to honor his best friend, Charles Thompson.

“Then he was killed at Pearl Harbor,” says Foster. “Immediately I wanted to enlist.”

Foster served in a variety of Army jobs, including as a B25 bomber crew chief and on the front lines. Foster exited his fox hole once. He says that was a big mistake.

“When a piece of shrapnel hit my helmet, I thought it was going to break my neck. It didn’t get me – it just got my helmet. I didn’t have any trouble staying in the fox hole after that,” Foster laughs.

Foster has war wounds, including shrapnel in his skull and he’s worn hearing aids ever since. He was awarded three bronze star medals for his courage.

Foster stumbled into his final military position after some of his comrades were passed out in the kitchen from drinking too much alcohol. None of the kitchen crew was coherent enough to feed a bunch of hungry soldiers.

Foster rolled up his sleeves and got to work whipping up a meal that ended up being the talk of the base, particularly his peach cobbler. Despite his initial objection, Foster ended up leading the kitchen crew and becoming a mess hall sergeant until he finished his military service in 1945.

To hear the full interview, click below.

Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan to be honored in north Missouri (AUDIO)

August 8, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A post office in northern Missouri will be renamed for a Navy SEAL from Macon County who died in a 2010 helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan.

An undated photo of Navy SEAL Adam Olin Smith, who died in Afghanistan in 2010 (photo courtesy of United States Postal Service)

The United States Postal Service (USPS) will hold a dedication ceremony Friday morning in Bevier for Adam Olin Smith, who grew up in the small town of about 700. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, says Smith always wanted to be a Navy SEAL.

“You know this is somebody that was a hero, a leader, he was 26 years old, he was a Navy SEAL, graduated from Bevier High School,” Graves says.

Smith grew up in Bevier with his three brothers and seven sisters. Bevier is west of Macon.

Congressman Graves sponsored the 2018 bill to rename the Bevier Post Office after Smith, and it was signed into law by President Donald Trump. Graves will speak at Friday morning’s ceremony, which begins at 11 at the Bevier city park.

“It’s a testament to his legacy there in Macon County, and it’s an honor to dedicate it with his family and friends,” says Graves.

Graves, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, tells Missourinet the public is invited to the ceremony. He’s hoping for a big turnout.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Congressman Sam Graves, which was recorded on August 7, 2019:

Iraq War veteran, Purple Heart recipient to take over Missouri National Guard

July 25, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A 26-year Missouri military member will lead a new mission – the state’s 12,000 National Guard soldiers. During a press conference today at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Gov. Mike Parson announced Col. Levon Cumpton as the next adjutant general.

Col. Levon Cumpton (Photo courtesy of Governor’s Office)

“We want the Missouri National Guard to be the best in the country – to be held to the highest professional standards, to represent the values of honor, integrity and patriotism,” says Parson.

Cumpton will replace the retiring Maj. Gen. Steve Danner beginning August 2.

“A unique aspect of the military service is that it’s the ultimate team sport. I like it,” says Cumpton. “We must operate as one team to ensure we are successful in a complex world.”

Cumpton says the greatest challenge Missouri’s military organization has is maintaining its competitive edge.

“We will always do that. But to do that, you’ve got to train, fight and win every day,” says Cumpton.

He says the strength of its organization lies with its people.

“The strength of our soldiers and airmen lie with their families,” Cumpton says. “Our families sacrifice so much for the success of our organization and we cannot thank them enough. I want to ensure the family end is never forgotten as we perform our critical mission.”

Both Cumpton and Parson thanked Gen. Danner for leading the soldiers and for Danner’s many years of military service. Danner has served in the top spot since January 2009, including during the Joplin tornado and 2014 protests in Ferguson.

Cumpton earned a Purple Heart from an improvised explosive device situation while serving in Iraq. He has served as a Ranger and in combat, also earning the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star Medal.

Cumpton has been deployed to Germany, Macedonia, Bosnia and Bosovo. He has also been activated during several Missouri emergency and disaster responses.

Through his service as the CENTCOM operations officer for the National Guard Bureau, Cumpton also gained a high-level understanding of Washington operations, intelligence, and planning.

He grew up on a farm in western Missouri’s Bates County and currently lives with his wife in Jefferson City. They have two children who serve in the military.

Missouri to get new leader of National Guard

July 24, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri to get new leader of National Guard

Governor Parson will announce tomorrow the next leader of the Missouri National Guard. A press conference at the Missouri Capitol will unveil the governor’s choice as the state’s next Adjutant General.

Adjutant General Steve Danner, who is retiring, has been serving in the position since 2009. Danner is a former State Senator from northwest Missouri’s Hale.

Missourinet will be at Thursday’s 10:15 a.m. press conference and have more on the story afterwards.

In Kansas City, presidential candidate Buttigieg praises Veterans Community Project, says country is still struggling to support the troops (AUDIO)

July 18, 2019 By Ashley Byrd

Democrat for President Pete Buttigieg joined Jason Kander in Kansas City to learn more about the city’s Veterans Community Project (VCP) . Kander, a Democrat and veterans’ activist, is now working on taking the service for homeless former service members nationwide.

The night before, he entertained a thousand people at a campaign fundraiser in Kansas City and announced he has raised more than any other presidential candidate in his party in the second quarter — more than $25 million.

Buttigieg, in a press conference, praised the group formed and run by former service members, saying it’s services are necessary, “not as a gift but as the country’s way of keeping a promise. You’ve got Americans who pledged to put their life on the line, not necessarily even knowing what that would mean and many of whom now face challenges, some of them as a direct consequence of their service to the country.”

The services of VCP include providing tiny houses for homeless veterans and walk-in support services for “every type of veteran facing every type of problem.”

During his only stop in Missouri Wednesday, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, took questions about his candidacy and his plans to help veterans. He touted a community support group for veterans in his city that he says taps volunteers who are “experts in their own communities” to help.

“This does not have to be driven from Washington,”Buttigieg said. “The question is how can federal policy be a wind at their back.”

Listen to an excerpt of the press conference (9:50)

Thanks to KCUR for press conference audio.

Missouri motorcycle helmet repeal bill vetoed

July 12, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson

The motorcycle helmets will have to stay on. Gov. Mike Parson has vetoed today legislation with several major provisions, including one that would let motorcycle riders cruise without helmets.

On the final day of this year’s regular session, the Missouri Legislature passed the proposal that would repeal the state’s motorcycle helmet law for riders who are at least 18 years old and have health insurance.

The provision is included in Senate Bill 147, sponsored by Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville.

What’s the reason for vetoing the bill? Parson opposes another component in the legislation involving the way drivers have their licenses revoked when they don’t pay up for minor traffic ticket fines.

Whether lawmakers will try to override the governor’s decision during September’s annual veto session is unknown.

Parson signs bill to create veterans’ treatment courts in Missouri

July 10, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Parson (Photo courtesy of Gov. Parson’s Twitter page)

Gov. Mike Parson has signed a bill into law creating a veterans’ treatment court. Bill Wise reports. House Bill 547, sponsored by Jefferson City Republican Dave Griffith, requires each Missouri circuit court to set up a veterans’ treatment court before August 2021. It allows prosecutors to divert criminal cases for military veterans and current military members with substance use or mental health disorders to a diversion program.

Preference will go to individuals who have combat service.

The prosecutor has the sole power to screen and divert a case and re-initiate criminal proceedings for cases that have been diverted.

The bill increases a criminal case surcharge from $1 to $5, which is assessed equally for prosecutor services and prosecutor training.

Missouri WWII Marine’s remains accounted for

July 9, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Nearly 76 years after paying the ultimate sacrifice for his country, the remains of World War II Marine Corps Platoon Sgt. George E. Trotter, of Kansas City, have been accounted for. The U.S. Defense Department’s Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) says Trotter, 38, was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division.

World War II Marine Corps Platoon Sgt. George E. Trotter (Photo courtesy of POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

On November 20, 1943, he was killed while taking on strong Japanese resistance on the island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands. Over several days of intense fighting to secure the island, about 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded. The agency says the Japanese soldiers were virtually destroyed.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in several battlefield cemeteries on the island. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company did remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Trotter’s remains were not identified.

All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred as unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, including one set, designated as Tarawa Unknown X-055.

On March 13, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-055 from the NMCP for identification. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used DNA analysis to later identify the remains as Trotters.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. Currently, there are 72,698 service members still unaccounted for, of which approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable.

Trotter’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the NMCP, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Trotter will be buried August 9, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Hundreds on waiting list to get into a Missouri veterans home

July 8, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri has seven veterans home with an overall total of about 1,230 beds. The Missouri Veterans Commission has about 400 veterans waiting for a bed at one of the homes. That’s a drastic difference from when Executive Director Grace Link first took over her position about 18 months ago. She was told roughly 1,800 people were on the waiting list then.

Grace Link (Photo courtesy of Missouri Veterans Commission)

Link says the commission has been contacting veterans to ensure they require 24-hour care. It had previously allowed veterans who did not require skilled nursing care to be added to the waiting list. Link says the veterans previously waiting are not getting kicked off the list.

“We will simply place them on hold if they have declined a bed. When they really do need a skilled nursing care bed, then we will be in communication with each other to ensure that they meet the requirements for a skilled nursing care bed and we can help facilitate that to them,” she says.

If a bed is not available, Link says other options are out there for Missouri veterans.

“The Federal Department of Veterans Affairs has many, many, many contracts for veterans at community nursing homes, if we cannot get them in right away. Also, they have contract care established in their communities for home health care and many different levels of care,” she says. “There are a lot of options out there. We want to help every veteran get to the correct level of care as soon as possible.”

The veterans home in northwest Missouri’s Cameron has intermittently stopped admitting new residents since 2018 due to a nursing assistant shortage and for allowing veterans who did not require 24-hour care. Some of the other homes have previously stopped new admissions but are not currently on a freeze.

Missouri gets federal grant to help retain nursing assistants at veterans homes

July 8, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant has been given to Missouri to help retain certified nursing assistants at the state’s seven veterans homes. Missouri Veterans Commission Executive Director Grace Link says new CNAs are being given $500 after 6 months, 12 months and 18 months of employment. Link thinks the grant will help to keep more of them around.

Grace Link (Photo courtesy of Missouri Veterans Commission)

“Certified nursing assistants are a shortage – not just in our state – but nationwide. It’s hard to recruit and retain certified nursing assistants,” Link says. “I think it (the grant) will help. I think it will be part of making a difference,” she says.

Link says the commission is also reviewing shift differential pay for staff working nights and weekends and it has reduced mandatory overtime to four hours per shift from the previous eight hours, unless more is the only option.

“All of that together should make a huge impact,” she says.

Link says the CNA shortage is due to difficult work, low pay and the amount of involuntary overtime required due to the vacancies. The workers currently make about $12 per hour at the veterans homes.

A critical shortage of CNAs has led to the Missouri Veterans Home in northwest Missouri’s Cameron to intermittently stop admitting new residents since October 2018 – leaving 30 beds unfilled. Link says other homes have taken the same approach in the past but are not currently doing so.

The state has about 1,230 beds at its veterans homes.