When Cultures Connect

James and Norman Johnson with military and native american clothes

James Johnson served three tours in Vietnam, first as an Army helicopter gunner and then in military intelligence as a Marine. He followed in the footsteps of his sailor father, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor shortly after the bombing that drew America into World War II. But military service is not the only tie…

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All In The Family

Dave Damico rings liberty bell at veterans day celebration

Dave Damico has fond memories of talking baseball with his grandfather while growing up in Grandview, Missouri, just south of Kansas City. But one subject Damico’s grandfather rarely discussed — save for mention of fleas and lice — was his time in the trenches as a regimental-supply sergeant during World War I. Nor does Damico…

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KC Vet Recalls Discrimination in Vietnam

Thomas “Buck” Jenkins doesn’t like to talk much about his year of Army duty in the Vietnam War — a time in his life with too many bad memories from too many bad experiences. Like many, Jenkins returned home to people who criticized his service, yet had never walked five steps in his shoes as…

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