Hometown Rankin - June & July 2017

Home
of the
Free
Because
of the
Brave
Beth S. Bowman
According to AARP, there are 18 million veterans living in the
United States. It was my privilege and honor to interview six
of those amazing men. Four are residents of Plain View Living
in Richland and two live at The Blake in Flowood.
Their stories were diverse, funny, heart breaking, and dauntless.
They each told their stories without any personal glory or honor,
instead with humility and a pride in the United States and their
particular military branch.
Together, these brave and determined men served a total of 52
years. Many times during the interviews I felt like an outsider as
they spat out military acronyms, ranks and abbreviations. They
recounted world changing events with the ease that most of us
tell the weather or directions to a new place. These men may
forget details of recent events such as the name of a new great
grandchild or the address of their favorite cousin but they can
remember with vivid accuracy the details surrounding the years
spent in military service.
On the following pages are some of the
courageous, brave men i met ➣➣➣➣
Hometown Rankin • 23