Joel’s Story:
The son of a WWII Army veteran that saw action on D-Day at Omaha Beach, Normandy, Joel was born in Omaha, raised in La Platte, Nebraska (8 miles South of Bellevue, Nebraska) and graduated from Platteview High School. Joel was drafted into the Marine Corps at the age of 20, was deferred due to a hearing issue, but volunteered to go into the Marine Corps anyway.
Tom’s Story:
A Native of New York, born in the Bronx June 1945, Tom enlisted in the Marine Corps in August of 1965 and served in Vietnam with the 3rd Shore Party, B-Company, 3rd Marine Division. Tom and his wife Terri are residents of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. Tom is currently the Board President of NVVMF and has been instrumental to the realization of a state memorial to honor all those who served during the Vietnam Era.
A son of a 30-year Air Force veteran, Ronald was born on Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth New Hampshire’s Pease Air Force Base, Ronald volunteered for service in the Army. Ronald served in Vietnam as an infantryman.
Danny’s Story: Born and Raised in Centerville Iowa, Danny Creagan moved to Ames Iowa shortly after his graduation from Centerville High School. It was while he was living in Ames that Danny enlisted into the Air Force in 1965 and began a career that would span over 28 years as both an enlisted airman and commissioned officer.
Esteban’s Story: The youngest of 6 children, Esteban was born in 1944, the son of immigrant Mexican parents. Esteban began his Air Force career as a ground radio repairman near his home in Texas and completed his career at Offutt Air Force Base. He saw 1 tour in Vietnam on Monkey Mountain near Da Nang. Esteban retired at Offutt and then worked for 23 years at Creighton University as an audio/video technician.
Daniel’s Story: Daniel graduated from Omaha Tech High School and was drafted, but enlisted instead so he could be in the Army Engineers. Shortly after being deployed to Europe, he competed on the Army’s Rifle Team and traveled Europe competing on the rifle team, winning many awards for his marksmanship. He spent 13 months in Vietnam on a classified mission. Daniel got out of the Army shortly after his Vietnam tour, Daniel spent 11 years as a volunteer fire fighter and an EMT at Carter Lake. After which he continued his Army career in a number of positions and MOS’s, including a tour in Iraq.
Orville’s Story: Born in Chamberlain, South Dakota and grew up in Eagle Grove, Orville joined the Air Force only 4 months after graduating high school. He spent 24 years in the Air Force, working in a number of different fields, one of which was working on the famed SR-71 aircraft.
Lee’s Story: The son of an Army Combat Medic serving in Europe in WWII, Lee was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. Lee graduated from Omaha Ryan High School and then continued his education at Omaha’s Creighton University, where he joined the Army ROTC and majored in Finance. After Lee graduated from Creighton University in 1969, he was commissioned as an officer and assigned to the Army Reserves. In September 1970, Lee was called to active duty and was assigned duty in Vietnam as an infantry officer.
Burt’s Story: The son of a Marine WWII veteran, Burt was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from Omaha Tech High School. Influenced by his father’s service in the Marine Corps, Burt decided to be a Marine after graduating from high school. Although Burt was badly wounded and has a limited income due to the wounds he suffered in Vietnam, he still manages to give generously to the various organizations he supports.
Gus’s Story: Gus was born and raised in Harlow, Arkansas. After graduating high school, he joined the Air Force as a firefighter. Gus’s illustrious career spanned 3 major wars – WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. His experiences include occupation duties in post-WWII Japan and 2 tours in Korea. He spent 22 years in the Air Force and retired as a Staff Sergeant.
