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VFW member discovers important artifact in attic of Missouri post

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A historic flag has been found at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in southeast Missouri’s Farmington. VFW Commander Bud Davis says a member discovered a USS Missouri flag tucked away in the attic. Japan surrendered on the USS Missouri battleship – putting an end to World War Two.

VFW member discovers important artifact in attic of Missouri post

“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? The ship that the Japanese actually surrendered to the U.S. on?’ He was like ‘Yeah, I found it up in the attic with a sign on it and a picture of the ship next to it.’”

Davis tells Missourinet affiliate KREI in Farmington they researched the flag.

“If it had 50 stars on it, it was after World War II. There was one year after World War II that they were flying 49 stars,” he says. “We counted the stars and it’s 48 stars. That’s World War II.”

Missouri received 11 battle stars for service in World War II, Korea and the Persian Gulf. It was decommissioned in 1992 after serving 16 years of active service. In 1998, the ship was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association and became a museum ship at the U.S. naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Davis says the post has many artifacts important to the history of the United States and world.

“I would really love the community to be able to come down and see some of the things that have just been brought in over the years,” Davis says. “We’ve got maps from Germany from World War II. We’ve got more Vietnam veterans bringing in stuff.”

The post is fundraising to place the flag in a display case by Veterans Day next month.

State officials look to boost pay for some Missouri veterans home workers

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Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe says the Missouri Veterans Commission is working to find ways to enhance pay for some state veterans home workers. Kehoe, a Republican, tells Missourinet commissioners are talking with the state Legislature and federal government about pay raises.

Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe

“It’s very tough to find the skilled workforce it takes to take care of folks, whether it’s a veterans home, a private home or a county-run home. The challenges it’s faced in taking care of people are similar to the industry. We just have to make sure we do the best we can to recruit and retain the best people,” Kehoe says.

Missouri’s Veterans Homes are located in metro St. Louis, St. James, Mexico, Warrensburg, Cape Girardeau, Cameron and Mt. Vernon. The homes manage a combined total of 1,350 beds.

The St. Louis Veterans Home has been investigated several times since 2017 about reports of inadequate care. New leadership took over there this year with a focus of improving care and recruiting additional nursing staff.

The troubled facility led to investigations at all of the state’s veterans homes. An independent organization visited the sites over a two-day period and found things like fear of retaliation against staff who report problems, staff opposition to mandatory overtime and lack of paperwork for infection and sanitation issues and drug dosage.

The state’s website lists current job openings for nursing staff ranging in pay from $11.35 an hour for a certified nursing assistant, $16.65 an hour for a licensed practical nurse to $1,979 on a semi-monthly basis for a registered nurse.

The Missouri Veterans Commission operates the homes. The commission is a division of the state Department of Public Safety.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Remains return home today of Missouri Sailor killed in Pearl Harbor attack

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The remains of a northern Missouri Navy Sailor return home today – 77 years after getting killed in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Second Class Harold Loyd Head of Laclede was on the USS Oklahoma when it was hit by several torpedoes and capsized, killing 429 Sailors and Marines, including Head.

Photo courtesy of KCHI in Chillicothe

It took years to locate their remains and most were buried as “Unknown”. In 2015, permission was received to exhume the graves for possible identification. On September 26, 2017, a report was issued and Head’s remains were identified.

Laclede Mayor Larry Smith says it is an honor to be part of Head’s service.

“There’s been a monument put up in their memory at the corner of the cemetery back in early 1951. So now, at least one of the remains of one of the boys that was lost has been brought back home,” he tells Missourinet affiliate KCHI in Chillicothe.

Smith says the town expects a large turnout today.

“The VFW and American Legion will be participating in some of the ceremonies,” he says. “We have areas marked for the Freedom Riders. We don’t know if we are going to have 25 Freedom Riders or 200 of them.”

Today, on what would be his 97th birthday, Head’s remains will travel under a full formal procession from Parkville to Laclede. The procession leaves Parkville at 10:30 a.m. and is expected to arrive in Laclede around 1:00 p.m.

Head will be laid to rest with full military honors.

Kander bows out of Kansas City mayor’s race; “After 11 years of trying to outrun depression and PTSD symptoms, I have finally concluded that it’s faster than me”

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In July, Democrat Jason Kander announced his campaign for Kansas City. Today, Kander announced on Twitter he’s dropping out of the race and “passing his oar” for a bit to focus on his mental health.

Kander, an Army veteran, admits that he has suffered from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts. He says he contacted the Veterans Administration about four months ago to get help, but he was still in denial about his state of mind.

Jason Kander

“It had been about 11 years since I left Afghanistan as an Army Intelligence Officer, and my tour over there still impacted me every day. So many men and women who served our country did so much more than me and were in so much more danger than I was on my four-month tour. I can’t have PTSD, I told myself, because I didn’t earn it,” Kander says. “But, on some level, I knew something was deeply wrong, and that it hadn’t felt that way before my deployment. After 11 years of this, I finally took a step toward dealing with it, but I didn’t step far enough.”

Kander says he filled out VA forms online but left boxes unchecked because he was too scared to acknowledge his true symptoms.

“I knew I needed help and yet I still stopped short. I was afraid of the stigma,” he says. “I was thinking about what it could mean for my political future if someone found out. That was stupid, and things have gotten even worse since.”

Kander has had early political success as a former Missouri State Representative and Secretary of State. He came close to beating Missouri Republican Roy Blunt in 2016’s U.S. Senate race. Kander lost to Blunt by just 78,000 votes, in a race where more than 2.8 million ballots were cast. Prior to entering the mayor’s race, Kander was seen as an up-and-coming young Democrat and considered a potential 2020 presidential candidate.

He also says his first book became a New York Times bestseller in August, his voting rights organization – Let America Vote – is gaining ground, and his campaign has raised more money than any Kansas City mayoral candidate ever has in a single quarter.

“But instead of celebrating that accomplishment, I found myself on the phone with the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line, tearfully conceding that, yes, I have had suicidal thoughts. And it wasn’t the first time,” he says.

Kander says he’s “done hiding his health from himself and from the world”. He says he still has nightmares.

“Instead of dealing with these issues, I’ve always tried to find a way around them. Most recently, I thought that if I could come home and work for the city I love so much as its mayor, I could finally solve my problems. I thought if I focused exclusively on service to my neighbors in my hometown, that I could fill the hole inside of me. But it’s just getting worse,” Kander says. “So after 11 years of trying to outrun depression and PTSD symptoms, I have finally concluded that it’s faster than me. That I have to stop running, turn around, and confront it.”

Yesterday, Kander went to the Kansas City VA facility and started the process to get help there regularly.

“I truly appreciate all the support so many people in Kansas City and across the country have shown me since I started this campaign,” he says. “But I can’t work on myself and run a campaign the way I want to at the same time, so I’m choosing to work on my depression.”

Kander says he will also be taking a step back from day-to-day operations at Let America Vote.

Several other candidates, mostly city council members, are also running for the Kansas City’s top office next year. Mayor Sly James, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election.

“I’m proud of Jason for having the courage to share his struggle, and for doing what he needs to do to take care of his health,” says Mayor James. “This could not have been an easy decision, but I know Jason is doing what is right for him and his family, and I’ve never been more proud to call him my friend and colleague. His track record of outstanding service and tireless work ethic have raised the bar for many who aspire to serve in elected office. I applaud his bravery, and will do all I can to help him through his healing process.”

Kander questioned whether to go public with his reason for dropping out of the race. Two reasons led him to not shy away from sharing his story.

“First, I think being honest will help me through this. And second, I hope it helps veterans and everyone else across the country working through mental health issues realize that you don’t have to try to solve it on your own. Most people probably didn’t see me as someone that could be depressed and have had PTSD symptoms for over decade, but I am and I have. If you’re struggling with something similar, it’s OK. That doesn’t make you less of a person,” says Kander. “I wish I would have sought help sooner, so if me going public with my struggle makes just one person seek assistance, doing this publicly is worth it to me.”

His message includes the VA Crisis Line: 1–800–273–8255. Non-veterans can also use the number.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Historians push to install statue of black Civil War Soldier in southeast Missouri town

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Historians want to add a historical attraction to Ivers Square in the downtown section of southeast Missouri’s Cape Girardeau.  It’s a limited edition bronze statue of a black soldier who fought in the Civil War.

In 2017, the location was renamed after James Ivers, a black slave who enlisted in the Union Army inside the building and died fighting for his freedom.

Historians push to install statue of black Civil War Soldier in southeast Missouri town

Professor Steven Hoffman is the coordinator of the historic preservation program at Southeast Missouri State University and says the historic site was also a place where slaves were sold hundreds of years ago.

“So we acknowledge the slavery and oppression being real and being in that place, but the thing we value most is the struggle against that, and recognizing the courage of the people who struggled against it,” he said.

Hoffman and Cape Girardeau historian Denise Lincoln are spearheading the effort to recreate a rare statue of a black soldier in the same park that already has a Union statue built in 1911 and a Confederacy memorial built in 1931.

Both historians see the new addition as a way for this generation to represent the untold stories of men who fought in the Civil War just like James Ivers.

“A name by itself is nothing. If you don’t know who he was or why or what he stood for,” Lincoln said. “We can interpret that with a plastic and steel sign that may fade in time but to put something on the same comparable level as the existing monuments. Something that is enduring and lasting will stand there for several hundred years to tell the story I think tells the more worthy story.”

Lincoln says Cape Girardeau’s chance to commission the statue, created in just two other cities by artist Roy Butler, is a ‘fleeting opportunity’ because the mold is aging and can only create one other statue and another city in Tennessee wants to build it just as much.

Lincoln also thinks it will be a regional attraction for tourists and for those who live nearby.

“Bulter has been very invested in helping us see the vision and completing it,” Lincoln said. “Again this is a world-class statue and it’s a national monument already in Nashville. It will be on the Smithsonian Registry of American Paintings and Sculptures. So it is a landmark and will become that for us.”

Mike Jones works in Cape Girardeau and says he’d like to see the statue become a reality so he can bring his daughters to see it.

“I don’t have to drive to St. Louis, I don’t have to take you to a library to read a book like I can show you something physical,” Jones said. “I think it’s important to bring that type of history down here so that everyone can know it.”

To create, install and protect the new bronze statue, Lincoln says it will cost about $60,000. Donations for the project are being accepted at Old Town Cape, and Hoffman says they plan to start a gofundme page in the near future.

The historian’s goal to reveal the statue of the black soldier on June 19th, 2019 just in time for the Juneteenth celebration.

Missourinet media partner KFVS-TV contributed this report

Governor Parson visits replica Vietnam veterans wall in southeast Missouri

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Governor Mike Parson visited and toured the National Veterans Memorial in southeast Missouri’s Perryville Wednesday.

Vietnam Veterans Wall

The memorial is a replica of the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C. It is still under construction, but when finished, will feature the names of nearly 60,000 service members who died in the Vietnam War.

Governor Parson says the wall will attract more visitors to Perryville to honor those who have served our country.

“For a lot of families who can’t go to Washington D.C., they maybe can come to Perryville, Missouri, and get here and be able to reflect on that wall just like they do in Washington D.C.,” said Parson. “To allow the people to do that is just a higher calling than most.”

The wall is expected to open this year. Next month, there will be a candlelight vigil at the site for prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action.

The Perryville structure is the only exact replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Missourinet media partner KFVS-TV contributed this story

Sharp divide on border wall illustrates differences between McCaskill, Hawley in Missouri Senate race

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Among the big policy disagreements between the two Missouri candidates for U.S. Senate, this November is whether to build the border wall President Trump is demanding.

Josh Hawley – R – with reporters after speaking to the Missouri Farm Bureau 8-10-2018

Since missing one of the President’s visits to Missouri in August of 2017, Republican Josh Hawley has vigorously supported most all of Trump’s priorities with a few exceptions.

He emphatically proclaimed to a gathering at the Missouri Farm Bureau last Friday that he stands with the President on the border wall issue.  “I’m for building the wall,” said Hawley.  “I am for securing our border.  Look, I’m your chief law enforcement officer in this state right now.  It’s my job to enforce our laws.  And what I see going on at the southern border is just a matter of law enforcement.”

Hawley was elected to his very first elected position as Missouri’s Attorney General in 2016.  He told the audience of farmers and ranchers that funding to build the wall needs to be secured and said border laws need to be enforced.

While talking about immigration, Hawley expressed support for a Trump administration plan to add a question to the 2020 Census asking people whether they’re U.S. citizens.  He stated that too many people have been allowed into the country who don’t have skills and drive down wages.  He said the needs of farmers who use immigrant laborers can be met through the U.S. visa system which limits the duration of a foreigner’s stay.

Democratic incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill is a noted skeptic of the idea of building a wall on the southern border.  She visited a border area in Texas in February of 2017 and noted that border patrol personnel expressed a need for better technology and said extending the wall would require the acquisition of private land coveted by farmers who currently own it.

Senator Claire McCaskill – D – with reporters after speaking to the Missouri Farm Bureau 8-10-2018

McCaskill also spoke before Farm Bureau members last Friday where she said the wall is far down the list of needs voiced by border security personnel.  “Frankly, in some parts of the border they don’t want a wall, because they want to be able to have vision,” McCaskill said.  “They need to be able to see.”

McCaskill is the ranking minority member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

In March, she released a report along with other Democrats on the committee which found that additional personnel and technology are the top border security needs identified by agents.  It said less than one-half of 1 percent of the solutions border patrol agents proposed for closing gaps along the southwest border referenced a “wall.”

The Democratic staff of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee issued a report in April 2017 which said the border wall could cost almost $70 billion to build and $150 million to maintain per year. An internal report by the Department of Homeland Security pegged the cost at $21.6 billion without figuring maintenance.

Since winning the Republican Senate nomination last week, Hawley has accused McCaskill of being in favor of illegal immigration and open borders while stumping around the state on a flatbed trailer.

McCaskill recoiled at such a suggestion while speaking to Farm Bureau members Friday.  “It just makes me hopping mad when my opponent says I’m for open borders,” said McCaskill.  “Nothing could be further from the truth.  I’m a prosecutor.  I’m the only candidate in this race that’s looked at a jury in the eye and put criminals in prison.  The only one.  I believe in the rule of law.”

McCaskill was elected Jackson County Prosecutor in Kansas City in 1992.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) employs 23,079 CBP officers and 19,437 Border Patrol agents.  On an average day, it conducts 851 apprehensions between U.S. ports of entry.

After hearing from Hawley and McCaskill speak Friday, the Farm Bureau resoundingly endorsed Hawley of Senate by a margin of 82-4.

Chillicothe to put up signs designating it as a Purple Heart City

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Chillicothe is placing signs soon to show its support for America’s soldiers who have received the Purple Heart medal. City Administrator Darin Chappell tells Missourinet affiliate KCHI in Chillicothe the signs will state the northwest Missouri town is known as a “Purple Heart City” to pay respect to the medal recipients who have been wounded or killed in combat.

Chillicothe City Hall

“It’s something that many communities across the state have done,” he says.

Missouri has more than 120 cities, villages, counties and organizations recognizing Purple Heart medal soldiers in such a way.

Chappell says the declaration process is more than a year in the making.

“There will be four signs purchased for $100 each,” he says. “There will be one north and south on Highway 65 and one east and west on Highway 36.”

The signs will go up at the city limits.

Tom Tingerthal of Missourinet affiliate KCHI in Chillicothe contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri Congressional member proposes enhancements to VA doctor recruitment

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A U.S. House committee is considering whether to let VA hospitals recruit and hire future doctors up to two years prior to completion of required training. Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, R-Missouri, is proposing the bill that she says would include a competitive hiring timeline. Hartzler tells Missourinet doctor offices and hospitals recruit future doctors while they are completing their residency.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler

“They (VA hospitals) currently do not do that until the very end and I think that puts us at a disadvantage,” she says.

Hartzler, whose district includes Columbia’s Truman VA Hospital, says her bill would help veterans receive better care.

“The veterans hospitals in our area, including Truman VA there in Columbia, will be able to have a level playing field when recruiting the best physicians possible to serve our veterans,” she says.

Hartzler goes on to say she thinks failing to recruit doctors during the residency period has contributed to a shortage of VA doctors nationwide. The bill comes at a time when the VA reports more than 30,000 vacant positions.

The American Legion has voiced their support for the bill by saying, “The VA Hiring Enhancement Act will help address the shortcomings in recruitment and retention of highly qualified physicians. The bill, addressing health care within the VA system, is especially welcomed by some at a time when Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) like American Legion have expressed growing concern about the privatization of veterans’ health care.”

The bill would release physicians from non-compete agreements to serve in Veterans Affairs. It would also update the minimum standard for VA physicians to include the completion of a postgraduate medical residency.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

U.S. House passes bill that would name post office after fallen Missouri soldier

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Columbia’s downtown post office building could be named in honor of a fallen mid-Missouri soldier. The U.S. House has passed a bill that would honor Army specialist Sterling William Wyatt, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. West-central Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler is sponsoring the legislation.

Army Spc. Sterling William Wyatt

“Although Sterling was taken from us too soon, this bill will enshrine his memory in our community for posterity so everyone can know this brave soldier and be reminded that freedom is not free,” Hartzler says. “As representatives of the people who bravely serve our country, especially those who pay the ultimate sacrifice, we owe it to their lives and memories to never forget all that they have done for us.”

Wyatt, who was 21 years old, was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Kandahar.

He was a graduate of Rock Bridge High School in Columbia. Hartzler’s district includes Columbia.

“Specialist Wyatt’s dedication to serving his community and country were a testament to his faith and his family,” Hartzler says. “Maybe, when others learn about Sterling’s story and sacrifice, they too will put service above self and answer the call to serve, which is the noblest and most honorable action anyone can take.”

The legislation heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet