By: Justine Smith, New Media/Web Content Coordinator

Veterans Day is an opportunity to recognize some of the 23 million brave men and women who have selflessly served our country and risked their lives to protect our freedoms. DePaul has the honor of caring for many veterans across our programs in New York, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Join us in honoring their sacrifices with this special tribute video:

Veterans are listed below in alphabetical order. Every effort was made to include veterans served by DePaul. For those who were unable to participate, please know that your sacrifice to our nation is known and appreciated!

Eugene Anderson, Navy, Clerk for Food Drops

Van Arnette, Army, Sr. Sargent
Served during World War II

Walter “Buck” Ballard, Army, Staff Sargent
Served in England, France and Normandy during World War II

Jim Bartholomew, Navy, Air Force Officer
Served at Fort Lauderdale during World War II

Stewart Becktel, Adjutant  – General’s Department
Served during World War II

Porter Behrendt, Navy
Served during World War II

Betsy Bennett, Army Engineers
Served at Fort Lee in Virginia

Carol Bennett, Navy, Secretary for the Marines
Served during the Vietnam War

Dock Best, Corporal

David Blackman, Army/Airborne, Private First Class, Infantry
Served in Europe during World War II

Dean Briscoe, Army
Served during the Korean War

Willie Britt, Army, Private First Class
Served in Europe during World War II

Eugene Buchanan, Army
Served during the Korean War

Buford Burcham, Army, Army Medics Clerk, Staff Sargent
Served at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and Galax, Virginia during the Korean War

Hurley Cain, Marines, Sargent, Drill Instructor and Cook
Served in during the Korean War and the Vietnam War

Patricia Carberry, US Air Force Nurse Corps
Served in South Dakota, England, Alabama, Montana, Saudi Arabia

James David Carpenter, Navy, E4 and Marines, E6
Served in Norfolk, Virginia and Quantico, Virginia

Arlene Clippard, Air Force, Flight Attendant C1-21, Airmen Second Class
Served in Charleston, SC

Billy Clontz, Navy, 3rd Class Petty Officer
Served in Korea during the Korean War

Ted Coleman, Army, Medical Technician
Served during World War II in Battle Creek, Michigan

James Cunningham, Army, Sargent
Served in Tokyo, Japan during World War II

Dick Curtis, Navy

Johannes deBack, Army

Jose Delgado, Army, Spec 4 and Infantry

Jack Dodgson, Navy, Seaman
Served in the Pacific and Mediterranean during World War II

Eugene Dunn, Army, Gunner
Served during World War II

Thomas Eells, Coast Guard (Under the Navy Reserves)   
Served in Greenland during World War II

Bobbie Ellis, Army, Medic and Sargent
Served in the Philippines

Philip Emmett, Army, Combat   
Served in Germany during World War II

William Estridge, Army and Air Force  
Served in Korea during the Korean War

Howard Farr, Army, Sargent E5
Served in Korea during the Vietnam War

Phil Fuoco, Army, Corporal
Served in Germany during World War II and in Korea during the Korean War

Arvin Gabbard, Army, Infantry
Served in Germany and Jamaica during the Korean War

Arthur Gay, Army, Corporal
Served in Japan and the Philippines during World War II

William Gibbons, Marines, PFC
Served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War

Ray Giddens, National Guard, Spec 4

Arthur Gray, Navy, Seaman Recruit
Served in Norfolk, VA during World War II

Joe Green, Army, PFC
Served in Germany during the Cold War

David Hackett, Army, Artillery Sergeant
Served in Italy during World War II

Ken Hall, Army, Chief Warrant Officer
Served in USA, Turkey, Japan and Vietnam during the Vietnam War

John Harmon, Air Force, Sergeant
Served in Washington D.C.

John Hicks, Army, Specialist A4
Served in Moundsville, West Virginia

Doris ‘DD’ Hoffman, Women’s Army Corps
Served in Fort Dix, Fort Lee, Germany and the Pentagon

Paul Hooley, Navy, E4 on an aircraft carrier
Served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War

Paul Howie, Army, Honor Guard

Harold Israel, Army, T5
Served in Osaka, Japan during World War II

Bill Johnson, Army, Corporal
Served during World War II

Charles “Edward” Jones, Army
Served in Germany and France during World War II

Joseph Kast, Navy, Seamen Apprentice (USS Forestale)
Served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War

Jack King, Navy, Signalman
Served in Korea during World War II

Patricia Lane, Air Force 
Served in the United States

Joe Larkin, Army

Joe LaSalla, Navy, Naval Construction Battalion
Served in Guam during the Korean War

John Lemmers, Navy

Barry Leveridge, Army, PFC
Served in USA, Germany, and Vietnam during the Vietnam War

Mike Lewis, Marine Corps, Reserves

Charles Lucie, Army, Air Corps

Herbert Mace, Army, Corporal

James McGee, Army, Rifleman and Air Trooper

Billy McNeil, Army, Solider
Served in Fayetteville, North Carolina during the Vietnam War

John Mills, Marines, US Merchant Marine
Served during World War II

Johnnie Montgomery, Air Force, 1^st Airman
Served at Plattsburgh Air Force Base in New York and the 820^th Supply Squadron

Jim Moore, Army, E5
Served at the Vietnam Med Clinic during the Vietnam War

Timothy Morida, Army

Leon ‘Red’ Parker, Navy, Airplane Mechanic
Served in Guantanamo Bay

Robert Pawlik, Army, Medical Corps
Served during World War II

Frank Piehler, Navy

Olga Przybylowicz, Royal Air Force Base (Polish Branch), Airplane Engine Mechanic
Served in Poland during World War II

Edward Pucek, Marines  
Served during the Korean War

Joel Rainey, National Guard
Served in Fort Knox Kentucky and Arkansas

Curtis Ray, Navy
Served in Okinawa

Peter Rimsa, Army, Corporal
Served in Korea during the Korean War

Frank Ruggiero, Marines Corps

Chester Seil, Army, Radio
Served during the Korean War

Norman Seward, National Guards SSC

Elvin Skibinski, Coast Guard, Seaman First Class E3
Served in Los Angeles and NW Territories during the Vietnam War

Charles Smith, Army Guard

James Smith, Marines (Sargent Major) and Army Airborne
Served during the Korean War  

Merle “Bud” Sorenson, Army, Medical Corps
Served in Japan

Edward Stelling, Navy, Seaman 2^nd  
Served during World War II

Oliver Stoddard, Army

Robert Stoletz, Army Engineers, Instructor, Sargent
Served in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and Korea during the Korean War

Charles Testa, Army, Specialist Second Class  
Served in Fort Sam Houston, Texas during the Korean War

Bobby Thomas, Army, Private First Class
Served in Germany during the Vietnam War

Anthony Vaccarelli, Navy, Bowman Mate/Sailor

Ray Walker, Army, Service Station Attendant
Served during the Korean War

Kenneth Warlick, Army, 89^th Tactic Battalion
Served during the Korean War

Carl Wendlandt, Army, CPI
Served in USA during the Korean War

Lewis Weston, Merchant Marines
Served during World War II

Dale Wiggins, Army, Private First Class
Served in Fort Gordon and Fort Bragg during the Vietnam War

Ted Wilfong, Army, Private First Class
Served in Korea during the Korean War

Edward Young, Navy

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“Dear Veteran” co-written by Elizabeth Sams and her mother Renee Sams is the powerful song used in this video.

Learn more about Elizabeth’s background and what this song means to her:

What our Men and Women of Service Mean To Me

It is vital that our country remember and appreciate the value of our Veterans and all men and women of service. Every day our generation is being handed most everything, while our Troops are sacrificing for us. My platform is to teach the kids of my generation to understand that Freedom is not free.

It is clear that my peers, most especially, do not realize that these Troops work to keep our nation safe and strong, while we selfishly take all of our liberties for granted. We need to focus and truly realize that these people leave their homes and families with a possibility of never, ever coming back.  They put themselves in harm’s way each and every day so that we may enjoy the benefits of America.

I co-wrote the song, Dear Veteran, as a way to get people’s attention through music.  Mom and I spent many hours discussing this issue and we just started writing our thoughts down.  The next thing we knew, mom asked me to create a melody for the work, and I did.  Then, to complete my community service project I sang it at a Veteran’s Event and recorded it. (Read more)