Barbara Hammond, Home Town News – Veterans Memorial Park

339 Veterans Pkwy, Wichita, Kansas

Editor’s Note: Barb Hammond wrote this story after visiting Wichita’s Veterans Memorial Park. The story was published originally in November 2021.  Memorial Day 2024 seemed like a good time to revisit this peaceful place. 

When I first took a walk through the Veterans Memorial Park in Wichita last November, I read some facts and saw some beautiful monuments about a culture with which I have had little personal experience. My grandfathers, father, and husband did not serve in the wartimes of their generations. My brother is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran of the Vietnam era and  remained stateside.

After reading the many awe-inspiring stories by our classmates who are veterans, I returned to the park on Veterans Day 2021 to attend the ceremony, listen, and learn. The keynote speaker was a young Army 1^st Sgt. whose opening statement presented the idea that meeting a veteran doesn’t reveal all the intimacies and after-effects of that person’s service experience; that is to say, what it’s like to be a veteran. Line-by-line he gave poignant examples, some very serious and some heart-warming. These vignettes reminded me of the guts it must have taken to serve on behalf of American citizens like my family and me. I hope it’s not too late to thank my classmates who joined up. To those of you who did, please accept my gratitude.

Our Wichita Veterans Park is extensive and interesting. The walkways wind through the trees on an embankment overlooking the Arkansas River as it approaches downtown Wichita. There are many more monuments than one would expect, eighteen in all. They are separated in random fashion by trees and shrubbery, giving each a somewhat private setting.

The monuments represent more than just the standard “big wars” and include these varied examples.

 

VETERANS MEMORIAL WALKWAY

This continuous walkway links the memorials and spans U.S. war history from 1776 to the present. Currently, there are plans in place to expand it.

A new section south of the Vietnam Memorial will create space for 1500 pavers containing names of Vietnam era Veterans (1955 – 1975). Adjacent to the Vietnam Memorial, another new area will be added to the Korean Memorial to allow for more names of those veterans. The segment of walkway between the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials and the World War II Walkway will accommodate pavers for any veteran from any era. This will give family members from different generations the opportunity to place pavers together. Personalized pavers may be obtained with a donation of $100.00 per brick. Application forms are available at the bottom of the page at Home – Wichita Veterans Memorial Park

A volunteer group incorporated as Veterans Memorial Park of Wichita, Inc manages the park. In 2009 the City of Wichita formed a long-term agreement with VMPW, Inc, entrusting the group with these responsibilities.

The program of the day on 11/11/21 took place at the U.S. Bicentennial Flag Pavilion and began with presentation of the colors and the keynote speaker. Recognition of all veterans present followed as their respective service organizations were called. Taps and a  rifle salute  marked the end of the ceremony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many people in the crowd stayed to greet old friends so I slapped on a cap that I hoped would help me blend in and stepped into the swirl of conversations to ask a few veterans if I might photograph them for this story. All are strangers to our class of 1960, but they represent an array of experiences that remind us of the wars fought during our lives. I didn’t want to intrude too much but all were happy to stop and talk for a couple of minutes. Please correct me on any inaccuracies in military language that I might have used here. My note-taking was hampered by the fact that I was a little bit nervous and then, of course, my pen ran out of ink!

I quickly introduced myself to Bryson Allen (left) as he was about to leave the flag pavilion. Mr. Allen, as a Board member of Veterans Memorial Park of Wichita, Inc, was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. He served in the Marines from 1959-1969 and was deployed to the Dominican Republic, Thailand, and Vietnam. He did not mention if the loss of his leg was a combat injury. The internet shows that he is listed as Judge Advocate, Marine Corps League, Midwest Division in Wichita. Coincidentally, he is a member of the East High Class of 1959. So I checked out his senior picture in my 1959 yearbook. (Below, right)

The man with Bryson Allen in the photo is James Denison, Air Force 1966-1972; Army 1976-1980. I had interrupted their conversation so I left the two of them to their chat.

 

 

I met Floyd Bliss at the beautiful Vietnam memorial that was donated by the Vietnamese-American community in Wichita. It is one of two memorials to that war. Although he is not a veteran, Floyd was drawn to the site because his son is a Marine vet and his daughter-in-law is a Vietnamese immigrant. They live in Oregon, so Floyd came from his home in Valley Center to honor his son, admire the memorial, and reminisce about accompanying them to Vietnam for their Buddhist wedding ceremony. He met her family and toured parts of the country.           

Joan Shingleton, age 81, caught my eye because, obviously, she was a woman veteran in a crowd of men. She served in the Women’s Army Corps. Ms. Shingleton trained and served from 1960 – 1963 at Fort Eustis, Fort McClellan, Fort Benjamin Harrison, and Okinawa. Her cap bears the insignia of the WAC. She joined the National Guard in 1985 and retired in 1998 at Sgt E5.  Joan was a talker and willingly answered my questions. She graduated from high school in 1958 in Decatur, Illinois, and by 1960 was tired of dead-end jobs, so the military looked like a chance to move on from her home town. Her preference was the Air Force, but their quotas for women were full, so she signed on in the Army. As Joan told me, “I almost didn’t make it because of my height. The requirement was 5-feet tall. At 5-feet and a half-inch, I got in.” When asked to comment on her military experience, she felt that the “women weren’t as respected” nor had the opportunities for advancement as the men. She later told me in a phone conversation that the fact that I interviewed her “was a boost” to her outlook on that day. And that fact gave me a boost too.

This gentleman told me his name is “Harold” and that he is age 76. It was windy in the park and because he didn’t speak distinctly, conversation with him was difficult.  I could not pin him down on his last name because he kept turning around to show me the back of his vest. He was very proud of it and told me that the American Legion is working to honor military veterans. I thought he said he was not a veteran but that his father served in the Air Force during World War II. However, I doubt that the vest belonged to his father, so I must have misunderstood him because one must be a veteran to be a member of the American Legion. Be that as it may, Harold was happy and proud to be at the ceremony and I congratulated him on that.

This young man was accompanying Harold and is also a member of the American Legion. In the confusion, I did not chat with him, but I heard him eagerly talking to other folks about what the American Legion represents. The Arthur Gossett Post 273 is in Wichita.

 

When I approached Curtis Turpin, age 49, (left) he was a little reserved and his wife Jennifer was chatty. It was she who told me of his military experience. Curtis served with the 1-161st Field Artillery Army National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq in 2006 where he served as a gunner with a convoy security clearance team. In 2007 he was seriously injured while in a building that was hit with a mortar, and he eventually spent ten months in treatment at Walter Reed Hospital. He was medically retired in 2014. Jennifer told me a later email that his traumatic brain injury makes crowd conditions somewhat overwhelming for him. As a stranger, I’m glad I didn’t press him for too much conversation. She was emphatic when she told me how much the various organizations helped them during his recovery. She specifically cited and gave great thanks to the Wounded Warriors Project and the Yellow Ribbon Fund for their assistance. She also credited USO, VFW, PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America), and the American Legion for their assistance. Curtis received, among other ribbons and honors, two Purple Hearts and a Combat Action Badge for his service. He grew up in Scott City and lives with Jennifer and their two children in Winfield.

Patrick Penn was wearing this distinctive Stetson hat when I stopped him to get a photo. Patrick joined the United States Army upon graduating from high school. He served in the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan on multiple tours of duty. He retired at the rank of Captain in 2017. I learned from the internet that the crest on the front of his hat is the Army Signal Corps Officer insignia representing communication. The emblem on the back is the Army 1st Cavalry Division Unit crest. The horse represents the division’s original mounts. Yellow is the traditional color of the cavalry; black symbolizes iron and represents the transition from horses to tanks and armored vehicles. Patrick was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in November, 2020 and is currently serving the first year of his term representing District 85 (northeast Sedgwick County and parts of Butler County).

This is Leslie “Pops” Maixner. He served in the Army and in the Reserves from 1968 to 1980. I caught up with him as I left the park and stopped him because I had seen him glibly circulating through the crowd. He appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself, laughing and talking with a lot of people. I don’t know if he even knew all of them, but it didn’t really matter, he seems to love life and community. He lives in the eight-story Shirkmere Hotel which has been converted to 110 small apartments and it suits him just fine. I would be willing to bet that he knows everyone there, and he laughed as he said, “everyone calls me ‘”Pops!” What a guy. I smiled all the way back to my car.

 

Dedicated on May 17, 2014, the Operation Freedom Memorial pays tribute to the Kansas fallen service members from conflicts of war and acts of terrorism. The memorial is dedicated to honor and remember all United States Armed Forces veterans and those currently serving for both their service and sacrifice.