Service on Display

Herald launches spotlight series honoring local veterans featured on Military Tribute Banners

As the Douglas County Herald begins a weekly series highlighting the stories behind the city’s Military Tribute Banners, Mayor Kirk Pueppke is a fitting place to begin.

Pueppke has spent much of his life in service, first in the United States Navy, then through a 30 year career with the state prison system and now as mayor of the City of Ava. His banner, displayed near Ava City Hall, reflects both his military service and the continuing role service has played throughout his life.

The banner was purchased by his wife, Shauna Pueppke, and placed near City Hall through the work of VFW Auxiliary 5993. Nearby is the banner honoring Pueppke’s grandfather, making that stretch of roadway a visible reminder of military service across generations of one local family.

“Being the mayor, it means something to me sitting next to City Hall,” Pueppke said. “Then I see my grandpa right next to me. Gail, Toby and the boys made sure it was that way. That touched my heart.”

The banner is one of 136 currently displayed in Ava as part of the Military Tribute Banner Program, which is organized through VFW Auxiliary 5993 with assistance from VFW Post 5993 and the City of Ava. Of those banners, 36 are new this year.

The banners are displayed along Springfield Road and Jefferson Street from Memorial Day through Veterans Day. Each one honors a veteran with ties to the local community.

Gail Huffman, who helps coordinate the program through the auxiliary, said the purpose is simple.

“The Military Tribute Banner Program is a program giving honor to whom honor is due,” Huffman said. “We honor all veterans with ties to our local community.”

The program includes veterans from the Spanish American War through those currently serving. Huffman said the banners are not limited to those who served overseas or remained in the military for a certain number of years.

“We don’t care what they did in the service, we care that they served,” Huffman said. “All our servicemen and women signed a ‘blank check’ when they signed up to protect us and our country, and we need to recognize them.”

The idea for the local program came after Huffman and her husband, Scott, saw similar banners while driving through a small town in North Carolina. Honoring veterans was already something she cared deeply about, and later, while thinking of ways to raise funds for the local auxiliary, she returned to the idea.

After approval from the auxiliary, the VFW post and the City of Ava, the program began.

“We live in a very patriotic area, and everyone has been so supportive,” Huffman said.

Pueppke said that patriotism is visible in the banners, but also in the way Ava responds to its veterans and their families.

“I hope that people see that these are local heroes,” Pueppke said. “I also hope that visitors who come to our community see our patriotism in our community, the sacrifice this community has made for America.”

He said the program continues to grow, and he believes Ava’s visible support of veterans will only increase.

“We’re going to have every telephone pole in Ava covered,” Pueppke said. “The wreath program at the cemetery is going to grow. What you have in this community is patriots. I think that represents our community very well. We’re patriotic and patriots here. It doesn’t matter whether you were in the military or not.”

Pueppke joined the Navy as a teenager through the delayed entry program. He said he was about 16 when he made the decision. At the time, his father had just built a dairy farm, and Pueppke said he could see what life at home would look like if he stayed.

“I saw the writing on the wall,” he said. “I went in the Navy instead.”

He joked that after two weeks of boot camp, he wondered if milking cows might have been the better option.

“I was really young,” Pueppke said. “Every young adult male Pueppke had been in the military. I didn’t know the difference.”

His service took him from boot camp in Florida to Hawaii aboard the USS Badger, then to Great Lakes near Chicago, where he trained in Navy basics and diesel mechanics. He later served in Washington state and was part of the early crew connected to the new Navy installation at Everett, Washington.

He described that role as being a “plank owner,” a Navy tradition connected to those who were part of a ship or unit from its beginning.

Pueppke said his time in the military gave him experiences he never would have had growing up in Ava. He traveled to Alaska, fished, crabbed, met people from different countries and saw cultures far beyond what he had known.

“It gave me a grander understanding than when I was just in Ava, Missouri,” he said. “My best opportunity in life was to see all I saw.”

Military service, he said, also taught him honor, ethics, morals, structure and how to work within a chain of command. Those lessons followed him into his later career, including 30 years with the state prison system, and into public service.

“My military background influenced everything I’ve done in my life,” Pueppke said. “It built a certain level of ethics, a level of confidence. You need to be a humble person, and you need to be confident to enact change and see change happen.”

He said military service can give a person motivation, direction and the strength to continue forward when faced with challenges.

Pueppke also reflected on the weight young service members carry, especially when conflict is unfolding. He recalled being aboard ship in 1990 and 1991 as news coverage built around the possibility of war in Iraq.

In January 1991, he said, those aboard the ship heard over the ship’s announcement system that the United States had fired the first rounds.

“We’re at war,” Pueppke said, recalling the fear he saw on the faces of young sailors around him.

He said what has stayed with him is not only the moment itself, but the way constant coverage and speculation can affect those who are serving.

“I think about a 17 year old mind absorbing that, versus a 54 year old mind right now,” Pueppke said. “I don’t know that people realize that. That is traumatic.”

Despite the serious moments, Pueppke said his time in the Navy also brought friendships, travel and experiences that shaped his understanding of people and the world.

“Ton of fun, a lot of great people, a lot of great places,” he said.

For Pueppke, the banners are not about self promotion. They are about families choosing to publicly honor someone they love.

“They didn’t buy that banner, but they loved that person that bought it,” Pueppke said. “I bought my grandpa’s. I’ll buy my Uncle James’, my brothers’, every cycle of this. That’s giving something to the people I love so other people can see I love them.”

Huffman said the same feeling is shared by many families who sponsor banners.

“For me personally, when I drive by and see one of my family members, it brings a sense of pride,” Huffman said. “I don’t get tired of seeing them.”

She said she has watched families react when they first see their loved one displayed.

“The first time a mom or dad sees their baby on a banner, or a wife or husband or a daughter or son sees their loved one, it will bring tears to their eyes,” Huffman said. “It is a sense of pride and patriotism that cannot be described, just felt.”

The auxiliary tries, when possible, to place banners near locations connected to the veteran’s life. Huffman said Mayor Pueppke’s banner being displayed near City Hall is fitting.

“One thing we have tried to do is place banners close to significant spots in the veteran’s life,” Huffman said. “Every banner tells a short snippet of the story of that veteran, and a location is part of their story.”

The program also includes banners honoring four local service members who were killed in action: Virgil Wilson, World War II; Charles “Leo” Wilson, Korean War; TJ Sutton, Iraq; and Kenneth Necochea Jr., Afghanistan.

Each banner lists “KIA.” Private First Class Virgil Wilson’s banner is on the square. Sergeant Charles “Leo” Wilson’s banner, honoring the Ava area soldier who went missing in action and was later declared dead before being returned home in 2009, is displayed by the stoplight when entering town. Sergeant Sutton and Corporal Necochea Jr. are displayed on the same light pole along Springfield Road.

“These young men paid the ultimate sacrifice for each of us and should always be remembered,” Huffman said.

Pueppke said veterans often share an unspoken understanding with one another, regardless of branch.

“There’s a brotherhood there,” he said. “There’s a respect in the brotherhood.”

He said he has also noticed a change in society over the last decade, with more people openly thanking veterans for their service. When someone thanks him, he said he thanks them in return for their part.

He also said families of those who serve deserve recognition for the sacrifices they make at home.

“I’m proud of every veteran,” Pueppke said. “I’m proud of every veteran’s family members who sacrificed while they were serving, every mom scared and worrying about why their son or daughter hasn’t called.”

Pueppke said he hopes young people see the banners and understand that service is meaningful.

“Less than 1 percent of society of our young folks will stand off the back of a ship as military and Navy and be that person,” he said. “I hope they see this and want to be part of that.”

That sense of service, community and patriotism will also carry into the Heart of the Ozarks Healthcare Center’s 40th annual Fourth of July Celebration, which will be held the next day, Friday, June 26, beginning at 6 p.m. at 2004 Crestview Drive in Ava.

The annual celebration is known as one of the largest fireworks displays in Douglas County, drawing families from across the area for an evening of food, entertainment, activities and community celebration. Fireworks are scheduled to begin at dark.

Pueppke referenced the celebration while speaking about Ava’s patriotism and the community’s upcoming recognition of America’s 250th year.

“By golly, everybody needs to be on this hill on June 26,” Pueppke said. “Let’s see what kind of show we’ve got this year.”

The celebration will include dessert, crafts, kids’ games and activities, cotton candy, color guard, bingo called by Copeland, music, hamburgers and hot dogs, funnel cakes, local vendors, inflatable activities, a dunking booth, car show and free parking. Fishing will also be available at the Crystal Lake Fishery Trout Pond.

A large silent auction will also be held during the event. Entertainment for the evening will be provided by Buster Clifton Davis.

The Mr. and Miss Firecracker Pageant will be held at Heart of the Ozarks Healthcare Center earlier that evening, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Children ages 3 to 5, 7 to 10 and 11 to 13 may participate. No baby pageant will be held.

Pageant participants are encouraged to wear firecracker or patriotic themed outfits, with comfortable shoes and no hoop skirts or unsafe accessories. Contestants should be able to walk across the stage, answer a public question and show personality and confidence. Awards will include Mr. Firecracker, Miss Firecracker and first runner up.

A raffle will also be held, with the drawing planned the night of the fireworks.

Shuttle service will be available to and from the former Old Murphy’s Station parking lot, now Fleaology, located at 1904 S. Jefferson St. in Ava, at the bottom of the hill from the healthcare center.

Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and spend the evening enjoying family friendly fun, music, food and fireworks. The rain date for the celebration is July 17.

For Huffman, the weekly banner profiles in the Herald are another way to help tell the stories behind the faces displayed along Ava’s streets.

“Every banner shows a veteran, and every veteran has a story,” Huffman said. “With the weekly profiles, more of the story is being told. I hope seeing these profiles will make people think about what has been done for us to be free.”

Families interested in sponsoring a future banner may contact Huffman or any VFW or Auxiliary member to be placed on a waiting list. When sponsorships reopen, those on the waiting list will be contacted first. Each banner is $200 and will be displayed for multiple years. When a banner is ready to be retired, it will be returned to the family or veteran.

All profits stay local and help fund programs supported by the auxiliary, including veterans’ assistance, scholarships for local students, Wreaths Across America and other projects.

For Pueppke, Ava’s banners are more than decorations. They are reminders of service, sacrifice, family and community.

“I think that represents our community very well,” he said. “We’re patriotic and patriots here.”