Veterans Day programs on Thursday, Nov. 9
Two Veterans Day programs will be held in Staples on Thursday, Nov. 9. At 9:45 a.m., a program will be held in the Staples-Motley High School gym. At 1 p.m., a program will be held at Sacred Heart Area School in Staples.
Prior to the programs, at 8:15 a.m., all veterans and their spouses are invited to a special breakfast at Staples-Motley Elementary School.
Veterans and members of the public are invited to the high school program at 9:45, with doors opening at 9:15. The student speaker will be Madison Perius and there will be performances by the Staples-Motley Choirs and Orchestra.
Sgt. Alan B. Marshall will be the featured speaker at the Veterans Day event at SMHS, with a talk entitled, “What’s it like being a veteran.”
Marshall was born in Seattle in 1949 and joined the U.S. Air Force in 1967. He trained in Jet Engine Aircraft Maintenance at Shepard A.F.B. Wichita Falls, Texas. From there he went to Mtn Home A.F.B. Idaho with the 10th Tactical Recon. Squadron.
In 1968, Marshall was deployed to Udorn Royal Thai A.F.B. Thailand with the 432nd Field Maintenance, and also worked with Para Rescue Crash Recovery. From there, he was sent to Bergstrom A.F.B. in Austin and was made acting NCOIC, while his F-4 Phantom Squadron was being reactivated and deployed to Phu Cat Air Base, Vietnam. There he served as a Crew Chief on F-4 Fighter Jets with the 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Back in the states, he was Honorably Discharged in 1973, at McCord A.F.B. Marshall was a recipient of an Air Force Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Small Arms Expert Medal and the S.E. Asia Conflict Medal.
In addition to the keynote speaker, there will be music and readings offered by Staples-Motley students. The Motley American Legion will provide the color guard.
Several Veterans Park pavers, honoring local veterans, will be dedicated during the program. These include:
o Aviation Storekeeper Chief Charles W. Crews Jr, US Navy Korea Vietnam, 1947 - 1969
o Storekeeper Seaman Beatrice “Pat” Crews, US Navy Korea, Naval Air Station, Almeda, CA, 1951 - 1954
o Aviation Storekeeper 2nd Class Melvin L. Morrison, US Navy WWII, 1942 - 1945
o E-5 SGT Robert L. Cheney, US Army Vietnam, Aug. 1965 - Aug. 1968
o SGT David Allen Tepley, US Army Vietnam, Nov 1965 - Nov. 1967
o PVT E2 Ronald J .Woods, US Army, Aug. 1961 - Nov. 1964
o Petty Office 2nd Class Edward A. Herman, US Navy WWII Pearl Harbor, Aviation Machinist Mate, Oct. 1941 - Jan. 1947
o SGT Jacob L. Esterl, US Army Air Corp WWII, July 1942 - Jan. 1946
o SGT Thomas G. Esterl, USAF Germany, Oct. 1970 - Jan. 1974
o SGT William Wilson, US Army, Grand Army of the Republic, 151st Regiment of Ohio, Civil War 1964
o SP-E5 Bruce R. Johnson, US Army Vietnam, Sept. 1961 - Sept. 1964, MN National Guard, 1973 - 1975
o SGT Everett N. Manning, US Army France WWII 1919
o SGT Arlen D. Johnson, Army National Guard, Iraq, Jan. 2003 - Apr. 2004
o COL Robert P. Manning, USAF, Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan 2012, May 1987 - Aug. 2023
o Corporal Clarence Smith USMC, Pacific Theater, Jan. 1942 - Dec. 1945
