As the nation remembers the service and sacrifice of veterans today as part of Veterans Day, it culminates a week of Mid-Missouri celebrations and ceremonies honoring veterans, including six who had received Purple Hearts.
On Thursday, Operation Bugle Boy, a nonprofit organization that honors veterans, soldiers and first responders, honored six Purple Heart recipients during its annual Veterans Appreciation Night.
The Purple Heart is the military decoration awarded to those wounded or killed while serving the United States in combat.
Prior to Thursday's appreciation night, the honorees were recognized with the "Wave 'Em If You Have 'Em" event, where people waved flags and held patriotic banners along the route to the hall where the event was held.
"Many of these men don't want to share about what happened to them to get the Purple Heart," Operation Bugle Boy President Chris Jarboe said Friday. "You're asking them to think about their worst days, and that's asking a lot.
"They were tough enough and courageous enough on some of the worst days of their lives. Ninety-five percent of us are not veterans and can't relate to what they went through. We ask these men a lot to reflect back. Fortunately, they have trusted us, thanks to the people who make up Operation Bugle Boy."
Those honored Thursday were:
Tyler Huffman, a former U.S. Marine who served from 2009-11 in Operation Enduring Freedom. Originally from the Fulton area, he suffered wounds that left him paralyzed.
"(Former Jefferson City Jays football) Coach Pete Adkins found out about Tyler and wanted to learn more about him," Jarboe said. "He found out Tyler would need special housing and got the ball rolling, which led to the community working to build a smart home for him. The price of freedom is high, and he's still paying that price."
David Hunter grew up in New York and went on to serve a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was wounded three times and received the Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam.
"I told him that he was a history book of information," Jarboe said. "The community can benefit from his knowledge."
U.S. Army veteran Dennis Smith, of Russellville, received one Purple Heart for wounds he received while on operations near the Cambodian border during the onset of the Tet Offensive in January 1968.
"Dennis got another Purple Heart and also received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for continuing to fire at the enemy despite being wounded," Jarboe said. "He kept firing until he ran out of ammunition."
U.S. Army veteran Richard "Dick" Woods, of Jefferson City, joined his father, who received a Purple Heart for wounds received during World War II. Woods received two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.
Purple Heart recipient Jim Schaffner spent 30 years of active duty in the U.S. Army and National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel after serving in World War II and the Korean Conflict.
Bryce Lockwood, of Strafford, was awarded his Purple Heart when he was wounded while fighting in the Six Days War in 1967 while serving on USS Liberty. He was the only U.S. Marine to survive the attack that killed 34 Americans.