During the Vietnam War, the soldiers who did not make it were sent home to be laid to rest by their families. For varying circumstances, some of these soldiers' remains were never claimed. The Missing in America Project is a group that is dedicated to identifying and locating the remaining family members of these fallen heroes. The project's website stated that it had helped identify and honorably intern over 500 unclaimed veterans since its beginning.
Vietnam veteran John Hundahl partnered with The Missing in America Project to identify the remains of 47 veterans in the Medical Lake, Washington, area. According to The Tri-City Herald, many of the remains have been unclaimed for over 20 years.
"There was a gentleman who served in Korea, Vietnam and World War II and his urn was never claimed," Amy Coffman, an employee of a local funeral home, told KREM-2 News. "How sad that this national hero who dedicated his life to serving and protecting us was never honored until today."
Hundahl and the MIAP made it their mission to arrange for these remains to get a proper military internment ceremony before they were finally laid to rest at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery. On Sept. 15, they oversaw the public event that finally honored the unclaimed soldiers.
During his campaign, Donald Trump has established himself as a champion of veterans. In fact, much of his policy deals with veteran support and VA reform. On Sept. 15, the Republican frontrunner delivered his first speech relating to national security.
With the decommissioned battleship USS Iowa as his backdrop in LA, Trump gave a less than 15-minute speech where he briefly touched on topics like immigration reform, military policy and veterans affairs.
"We're going to make our military so big, so strong and so great, so powerful that we're never going to have to use it," Trump told the crowd. "We're going to have a president who is respected by Putin, respected by Iran."
The Huffington Post reported that Trump won the support of veterans' advocacy group Veterans for a Strong America just before the speech. The group also sponsored Tuesday's gathering, and while many anticipated the day's address would focus more on veterans issues, the majority of the real estate tycoon's speech was dedicated to immigration reform.
However, Trump did express his displeasure with the quality of veteran health care and current foreign policy. The candidate's next engagement was the GOP debate on Sept. 16.
Honor Flight is a nonprofit program that flies veterans who served in World War II to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments and receive gratitude. This program has gotten almost 100,000 WWII veterans to participate. In fact, it is so dedicated to making sure all WWII veterans have the opportunity to experience Washington, D.C., the program is willing to do whatever it takes to let the veterans know they are appreciated. Such was the case with Richard Jowders.
The New Hampshire native served as a Private First Class in the Army. Unfortunately, health risks prevented Jowders from participating in the Honor Flight. Sheila Peters, a VA volunteer close to Jowders, decided to bring the experience to him. Peters arranged for the veteran to get the same experience without the flight to D.C. WMUR-9 News reported that Jowders was able to watch the film all Honor Flight participants see, to get the same apparel and receive a mail call with well wishes from loved ones.
"I can't thank them enough," Jowders told WMUR-9 News. "I probably can't even sleep tonight. I'll think about it all night."
Fellow veterans who were there with Jowders and who had experienced the Honor Flight said the event was as close to the real thing as it could be.
Though military children may face more difficulties than their peers, they also have opportunities that other children their age may not. Military children are exposed to a different lifestyle than others and learn important life lessons at a young age. Take a look at some of the qualities military children glean from their experiences.
1. Cultural awareness
Some children of servicemembers have the opportunity to spend chunks of their lives in foreign countries where their parents are stationed. This time abroad can introduce military children to cultures different from their own. It can also be a chance for them to learn different languages. Later in life, military children who have been exposed to a variety of cultures and languages may have greater cultural sensitivity and global understanding.
2. Adaptability
The unpredictability of military life means that military children have to learn to adapt quickly. This can mean being prepared to change schools, move cities or countries, or say goodbye to a parent as he or she is deployed. Children of servicemembers will have excellent adaptation skills later in life.
3. Easily make friends
Children of servicemembers who get transferred frequently must get used to saying farewell to old friends. While they leave many playmates behind, military children often learn how to make friends quickly in a new environment. This can lead them to develop excellent conversation skills and a charismatic disposition. The ability to be amicable and approachable in unfamiliar environments will be useful in their future careers.
4. Self-reliance
When a servicemember is deployed, his or her children often have to assume part of the responsibility and help the remaining parent with housework and other things. Military children learn that something will not get done unless they take the initiative to do it. They also grow up around some of the best role models and may pick up on some of the self-motivating qualities that drive soldiers to serve.
5. Respect
If military children learn nothing else, they will learn respect. It may come in the form of deeply ingrained patriotism or from being made to keep their rooms immaculate. Wherever they pick up on respect, it will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Military children understand hierarchy and know that to move up you must put in the effort.
So, while children of servicemembers may have a more difficult and unconventional childhood compared to their peers, the skills they learn far outweigh the inconveniences.
The Department of Veterans Affairs reported that female former servicemembers make up nearly 9 percent of veterans living in the U.S. That percentage equals roughly 2 million women. ABC Action News-30 said that many of these women feel left out of veterans services because of their gender.
"If you look at the growing segment, women veterans represent the fastest growing segment of U.S. veterans," Cenethea Lofbom of the Department of Veterans Affairs told ABC Action News-30. "So there are going to be unique needs that sometimes cannot be addressed as a whole."
Women Veterans Stand Up is an event where female veterans can come together for support and to learn about the different opportunities available to them in life after service. On Sept. 14, the VFW Post in West Central Fresno, California, hosted this event for the second year in a row.
Many local vendors came to support the female veterans. The women had the option to learn about health care and even had access to day spa services. The Stand Up also served as a networking event for women veterans interested in pursuing civilian careers.
The events of the Women Veterans Stand Up will continue throughout the week.
At 89 years old, most people spend their birthdays quietly, surrounded by family and friends. Al "Abby" Ramirez chose to do things a little differently. The former World War II Navy machine gunner and Korean War Army veteran took his 104th skydive from 13,000 feet in the air.
According to the Lompoc Record, Ramirez spent time as an airborne school instructor at Fort Campbell on the Tennessee-Kentucky border before he retired from military service. When Ramirez heard about the four Marines and the Navy sailor who were killed in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, shooting on July 16, he was devastated. He dedicated his birthday jump to the fallen heroes' memories and to the memory of Robin Ballachey, a former skydiving instructor with whom Ramirez was friends.
"Obviously, there was lots of sky diving during World War II, so it's kind of significant that he used his sky dive to jump out and dedicate it to Robin [Ballachey] and the four Marines that died in Tennessee, especially with him being 89," David Hughes, owner of Sky Dive Santa Barbara, told the Lompoc Record. "It's kind of cool what he did."
Ramirez said this latest jump would be his last, but close friends told the news source that he was known for changing his mind.
When California native John Kerr was 19 years old, he was drafted to serve his country in the Vietnam War. Like many of the veterans from that era, Kerr experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and had difficulty reintegrating with civilian society. However, when Kerr was in Vietnam, he tried wine for the first time. While he was underage at the time, Kerr became a connoisseur of wine.
Upon his return to the U.S., Kerr pursued winemaking as a hobby to distract himself from the PTSD. The Lompoc Record reported that Kerr has worked as a winemaker for such wineries as Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery and Byron Winery in California. The Vietnam veteran decided to share his passion with other veterans. Kerr told the news source that veterans are often distrusting of civilians and other nonmilitary personnel, so he felt it was his duty as a veteran to help others like him.
That is why he created the John W. Kerr II Veteran's Scholarship for former servicemembers or their children who are interested in studying winemaking. Since its founding three years ago, the scholarship has given $3,000 to future winemakers. The scholarship is set up to continue even after Kerr passes away, but the veteran does not want any special recognition for his generosity.
"It's another way of giving back," he told The Lompoc Record.
Deployment is part of every servicemember's contract. It does not always mean that he or she will be placed in danger, but it does mean that the servicemember will be apart from his or her family for a time. Though deployment is undoubtedly a challenge, there are steps you can take to make the time easier for your family.
1. Communicate
This is the most effective way to make deployment less stressful for you and your family. They will likely want to know where you will be stationed, how they can communicate with you and how long you will be gone. Be sure to stay as informed as possible so you can share unclassified information with your loved ones. The more they know, the less they have to worry about.
2. Plan
Will you need to sell things before you leave? Should your family move to a smaller house while you are overseas? These are just a couple of the questions you should consider before you leave. You will also need to set up a convenient time to talk with your loved ones while you are gone. Planning can help take some of the stress out of your deployment.
3. Prepare your finances
You do not want to leave your loved ones with a frustrating financial situation. Alert your financial institutions of your deployment. Also, plan out a monthly budget and discuss a bill payment schedule. Some financial institutions and loan providers offer leniency for military servicemembers, so be sure to inquire about them.
4. Arrange for child care or elder care
If you have children, it is smart to arrange child care before you leave for deployment. This is especially important if your spouse will be working while you are gone. It can save your spouse hassle later on. Additionally, if you have elderly loved ones whom you look after, you will need to plan for their care during your deployment.
5. Have an emergency plan
Just like life, deployment can be unpredictable. Having an emergency plan in place can alleviate stress when situations like illness, injury, loss of communication and others are tossed at you.
6. Make memories
The weeks before deployment are likely going to be busy and hectic, but take some time to de-stress. Have a few family meals and take a short trip you have been planning for a while. The memories will help your loved ones when they start to miss you, and they will likely carry you through some of the lonely moments in your deployment. Check for places that offer military discounts so you can save money while you enjoy yourself.
While deployment will most likely be difficult for you and your family and could present you with unforeseen challenges, the above steps are just a few of the many that can help make it less stressful. Preparation and planning for life's unpredictability and having a plan can make deployment a little easier for you and your loved ones.
When servicemembers enter life after service, it can be a frustrating time of adjustment. Veterans who are used to strict regimens and busy schedules may find it difficult to adjust to a civilian lifestyle. In fact, Jacksonville.com reported that 42 percent of veterans have difficulty with the switch.
Former servicemembers may seek military-esque programs to which they can commit their time and still feel like they are serving their communities. Many crave service programs where they can experience the camaraderie and structure of the service. The Mission Continues is an organization that was founded to give veterans that exact opportunity.
"[Mission Continues] helps veterans reconnect and have a sense of purpose in the community as well as helps them reconnect on a social level," Laura L'Esperance, a spokeswoman for the organization, told Jacksonville.com.
Veterans are grouped in "Service Platoons" and sent to work with local nonprofits or community service organizations. They may assist with projects like building houses, cleaning up roadsides or mentoring youth.
With 5,000 veteran members across the country, The Mission Continues is growing in popularly. Participants range in age from their early 20s to late 70s. The program has completed 169 missions nationwide so far and hopes to complete many more.
Despite rainy weather, the Smyrna Rotary Club of Smyrna, Tennessee, held its 13th annual Wings of Freedom Fish Fry on Sept. 12. According to Daily Journal News, the proceeds from the event were donated to local chapters of the Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels. With over 1,500 attendees, the Smyrna Rotary Club surpassed its fundraising goals.
"It gets larger every year, we raised $100,000 last year, and this year our goal was $110,000," Mike Waller, head organizer for the Smyrna Rotary Club's annual fish fry, told Daily Journal News. "And the best part of it is, we turn around and give it back to the community."
Since the first Wings of Freedom Fish Fry was held the day after 9/11, the event has always had a patriotic theme. This year's fish fry was focused on Vietnam veterans. April marked the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam War's end, so it was only fitting to honor veterans of that war. The veterans who attended the event told the news source that they felt excluded when they returned from combat, and they were grateful to finally have their service recognized.
The Smyrna Rotary Club plans to hold the Wings of Freedom Fish Fry again next year but has not released a date.