It is not just the images of the mass destruction from May 22 that have seared themselves into Major K. Kendall Mathews' mind. It is the real-life effects and experiences he had while serving with the Salvation Army in Joplin weeks after the tornado destroyed one third of the town.
"Joplin changed me. It changed who I am," Mathews said recently.
Mathews serves the Salvation Army as the Columbia/Jefferson City regional coordinator, and he was asked to go to assist in relief efforts in Joplin. He was there from June 11-23, aiding in the transition to long-term recovery.