Military Veterans Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Veteran Tributes, Child Labor, Coalfield Jobs On House Agenda

Tuesday, with a decorum of honor and duty, the House broke from routine.

During the regular West Virginia Legislative session, on the House of Delegates floor, resolutions like H.C.R. 53 – U. S. Navy Quartermaster Third Class Lawrence Earl Boggs Memorial Bridge – are often accepted en masse, without debate.

But Tuesday, with a decorum of honor and duty, the House broke from routine. Del. Bill Ridenour, R-Jefferson, a retired Marine Corps officer and a retired defense intelligence officer, read aloud, in detail, the heroic service records of Mountain State veterans who are nominated to have bridges named after them. A full list of the memorial bridge resolutions can be found here.

As to bills on third reading, House Bill 5159, relates generally to child labor.

The proposal eliminates the requirement that 14 or 15 year olds obtain a work permit. Instead, parental permission and a Department of Labor age certificate is needed for children ages 14 and 15 to work.

Del. Larry Rowe, D-Kanawha, opposed a bill he and other delegates said takes school input out of the child labor equation.

“I think that it’s really the parents’ rights to have their children employed, and that’s what we’re judging here,” Rowe said. “And what goes out the window is the education of the child is the socialization that teenagers need in order to survive in this world. It involves a duty, I think of the school system, to make certain that the education is being completed as it’s supposed to be. So I will be voting against this bill.”

But Del. Todd Longanacre, R-Greenbrier, noted that code changes in the bill were procedural, and said that 14 year olds should have the freedom to work.

“We probably worked when we were 12, 13, 14 years out on a farm baling hay, digging post holes, whatever we were doing.” Longanacre said. “If there’s one thing kids need today in our society is to start learning work ethic at an earlier age, not at a later age. This is a good bill. Let’s let those kids get to work.”

The child labor bill passed 83-16 and now goes to the Senate.

House Bill 5223 would create the Southern Coalfield Resiliency and Revitalization Program.

The bill sponsor, Del. Adam Vance, R-Wyoming, said that unlike previous coalfield commissions and authorities that were never funded or executed, this program would charge the Department of Economic Development with actively recruiting and retaining businesses geared for and/or needed in Boone, Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties.

“There is no funding,” Vance said. “They just come together as a council, they’ll discuss things that these five counties need economically for development stuff, and then they’ll bring those in, and they’ll reach out to those companies. And they’ll find land that’s successful, find companies that want to come into these areas, and then they’ll just reach out and try to get them to come in and hopefully we can expand on that.”

The bill passed 90-5 and also now goes to the Senate.

PSC Rejects Recommendation To Increase Price Of Veterans’ Grave Markers

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia announced it will not implement a recommendation from its own task force and the funeral industry to increase the price of veterans’ grave markers by 51 percent.

On Thursday, the Public Service Commission of West Virginia announced it will not implement a recommendation from its own task force and the funeral industry to increase the price of veterans’ grave markers by 51 percent.

The West Virginia Cemetery & Funeral Association asked the commission to increase the marker fees in 2022.

The PSC created a task force to study the matter. The task force found installation prices had not increased since 2006 and agreed with the industry’s request.

“The commission recognizes the sacrifice our veterans and their families have made in the service to our country,” the PSC said in a press release. “In light of this, it is our desire to keep the total charges associated with veterans’ grave markers as economical as possible.”

In its discussion of the decision, the PSC noted that most of the cost information the funeral association provided was based on internet research rather than records they are required to keep.

“It will take much more information than the commission received if we are to further burden these families with additional costs while they are burying their honored dead,” PSC Chairman Charlotte Lane said.

War On Terrorism Memorial Bill Completes Legislation

The House of Delegates passed House Bill 3398 on day 60 of the 2023 legislative session.

The measure is meant to preserve the memory of West Virginia soldiers killed in action in the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations involved in the United States’ war on global terrorism.

The House of Delegates passed House Bill 3398 on day 60 of the 2023 legislative session.

A monument will be constructed on the State Capitol grounds to recognize and honor the West Virginians who were killed in action during these conflicts.

Del. Bill Ridenour, R-Jefferson, a Marine Corps officer and veteran in the global war on terrorism spoke on the House floor of the friends and fellow soldiers he lost in this war, including on September 11, 2001.

“In 2001, I was about 100 yards away from the left wing tip of the plane that slammed into the Pentagon on 911. Our intelligence watch section was burned to death in the inferno. Other friends were killed as well, and many others barely escaped with their lives.” Ridenour said. “I then spent the next couple of months on a Navy team combating terrorism threats, and going to funerals. I missed many of the funerals while I focused on those threats. The next 10 years were spent doing counterterrorism, losing friends in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other areas of the world. So this is somewhat personal to me.”

House Bill 3389 passed with a 98 to 0 vote. It now goes to the governor for his signature.

Resources Available To Prevent Veteran Suicide In Southern W.Va.

The Beckley VA Medical Center wants more people to know about the resources available to prevent veteran suicide. Suicide rates among veterans are more than 50 percent higher than civilian adults. The VA is hosting events in September, which is Suicide Prevention Month.

Sixteen veterans on average take their own life each day. Data from 2020 shows that 6,146 veterans died by suicide that year. The number has been declining since 2006 but there’s still more work to do.

This month, and throughout the year, veterans can find help at VA hospitals across the country, including in Beckley, West Virginia.

Beckley VA is partnering with Active Southern West Virginia to host a walk at Little Beaver State Park next week. Anyone can join the Suicide Prevention walk on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m.

On the national level, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Ad Council centralized a website called VA.gov/REACH, where veterans can find resources to help. There are also images available to download and share on social media to help spread the word.

The campaign “Don’t Wait. Reach Out” encourages veterans to do just that.

Civilians can also help by checking in with the veterans in their life and encouraging them to reach out if they need support.

Help is available at Beckley VAMC for veterans year round. Learn more by visiting Beckley VA’s website and the Beckley VA on Facebook.

Woody Williams’ Legacy Includes ‘Marching Orders’ For His Gold Star Foundation

The late Woody Williams leaves more than a legacy. Like planning for his own memorial service and funeral, the World War Two Medal of Honor recipient left “marching orders” for his foundation on continuing to serve Gold Star families.

Williams’ grandson, Chad Graham, serves as president of the Woody Williams Foundation. He said establishing hundreds of Gold Star Monuments (103 in all 50 states, 72 more monuments in planning stages) recognizing families of fallen service members just lays the base of honor and respect.

“It’s more than building that monument, we’re trying to strengthen and build a community around it, and something that will last in perpetuity,” Graham said. “I think it’s evident to everyone that is exactly the way that Woody envisioned it, it’s the way that he set everything in motion.”

Graham said his grandfather left plans to increase Gold Star family outreach events. He said the Gold Star Monuments are spread around the country, but Williams wanted to “connect the dots” and recognize families from the spaces “in between.” He pointed out one upcoming outreach event as an example.

A Gold Star outreach event is “a day at the ballpark.”

“In Louisville, Kentucky we will join with the AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, the Louisville Bats,” Graham said. “We’re going to bring 300 Gold Star family members out for a day of baseball, fun and fellowship. They are the VIPs and we’re going to honor their loved ones throughout the day.”

Graham said his grandfather also forged plans to bolster the scholarship program for Gold Star families’ children. There are $2,000 scholarships from the foundation and, in a partnership with Western Governors University, ten $10,000 scholarships at the school.

“These are to provide support for Gold Star families throughout their educational journey, rather than just a four year college degree,” Graham said. “It can include things like trade school, or certifications, or upper level graduate degrees. We want to make sure that we’re helping fill the gaps that exist within their military benefits.”

The proud grandson said as a teenage taxi driver in Fairmont, West Virginia, long before he became a Marine, Willams was affected by delivering the worst news a family could ever receive.

“He saw the grief that is that of the Gold Star family,” Graham said. “It’s been a consistent part of his life, up until we created the foundation. And obviously, that lives on.”

All the work done by The Woody Williams Foundation is fully funded through donations.

Military Service Leads To Courage For Education

Steven Kennedy grew up in McDowell County. A lot of his family made a living working in the mines, even his father, but his dad discouraged him from going into the industry.

“He’s like, ‘don’t break your back.’ Do something that you enjoy,’” he said. “I can tell that he really regrets not going to college.”

Kennedy heeded his father’s advice. He didn’t go into the mines, but he didn’t go to college either.

“I did not feel like I was smart enough to go to college and nor did I know what I wanted to do or anything,” Kennedy said. “So the military, that was my choice.”

It wasn’t an easy choice but one Kennedy came to after looking for work in North Carolina, and coming up short-handed felt his options were limited.

“Your options are drive a truck, work in the coal mines or go in the military,” Kennedy said. The military was probably the best thing I could have done.”

Kennedy joined the U.S. Army in 2012. While serving four years of active duty and three years in reserves, Kennedy found camaraderie, discipline and eventually a path to an education as his father encouraged.

It turns out, he was smart enough for college. He earned a degree from Concord University in 2018, and is now pursuing a master’s of health promotion while working full time at the university.

Steven Kennedy at his college graduation.

Another veteran, George Williams, is originally from Wilmington, North Carolina.

He served in the U.S. Navy for nine years and remembers similar thoughts before joining the military.

“You know, I was never a good student in high school,” Williams said. “I was kind of getting into a little bit of trouble, nothing major, but little things here and there. And I just decided that I didn’t want to go to school. That didn’t feel like working a real job. So I followed in my brother’s footsteps and joined the Navy.”
Williams said he enjoyed his time on active duty, but found himself away from home a lot. He missed his family. So he and his wife ventured on a road trip looking for a new life. They found it in Mercer County.

“My wife liked it. She liked the mountains, and she said, ‘Hey, let’s stay here for a few nights.’ A few nights turned into a few days and a few days into a few weeks,” Williams said.

They both got jobs at Walmart, Williams worked at the auto shop changing oil and tires.

“It’s not a bad job,” Williams said. “It’s just boring. I said, ‘I think I’m gonna go to school,’ and she said, ‘You’re crazy.’”

That ‘crazy’ idea ended up making sense. He enrolled at Concord University.

“I just absolutely loved it,” Williams said. “I’d never been a student before. I was 40 years-old at the time and for some reason going back to school was just the right fit for me.”

Such a good fit, in fact that Williams eventually earned his doctoral degree and is now an assistant professor of English.

He’s also the university’s veterans advocate, helping other veterans as they venture into higher education. Williams has also created an entry level college course tailored to veterans.

He said it’s a way to continue to serve as a civilian in his newfound home of West Virginia.