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POPLAR BLUFF - Those of us in Poplar Bluff tend to take its towering stare for granted, but there was a time the John J. Pershing Veterans Hospital was only an idea. With this week’s observance of Veterans Day, Angela Smith, Public Affairs Officer at the VA Medical Center, recounts that the hospital has a fascinating past and an equally exciting future. The Veterans Health Administration had its birth during the Civil War, when the first federal hospitals sprung up in order to service the young nation’s volunteer forces. Just a month before the Civil War ended, on March 3, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln authorized the first national soldiers’ and sailors’ asylum to provide medical and convalescent care for discharged

It is with great admiration that we, the staff of SEMO TIMES, put forth this issue devoted to the Veterans of the United States of America. In June of 2007, Toni and I traveled to the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego for the retirement ceremony of family friend, Commodore Dennis Schulz. The ceremony was on the deck of the USS Midway. Toni sang the song we wrote, “Duty Calls,” and I sang the “Star Spangled Banner.” What an honor. What an awe-inspiring ceremony. After the ceremony, the first of several parties was held on the carrier lift (basically a huge elevator to bring the aircraft to/from the deck). I was listening to all the stories told of the men

It is perhaps one of the most mournful sounds on earth, the sound of a lone bugle, both mournful and peaceful, ringing over the land. The notes ring across a green field with white stones, as orderly as the troops who once marched in rhythmic movements, dressed in sharp uniforms. It’s a sound Ken Swearengin, Cemetery Director for the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, has heard many times. With Veterans Day being observed this week, it’s fitting to think about the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and to give equal thought to the men and women who came back to their country, lived lives in and out of military service, but still choose

PHOTO: The picture is of Paul Woods with a large 8-point buck killed a few years ago in Ozark County near Gainesville. Probably the most popular hunting season in Missouri begins early Saturday morning as the 2014 firearms deer season begins. Legal shooting is supposed to start at 6:30 a.m., but most years that I have hunted there are several shots fired at deer a lot earlier than the legal start time. Hopefully, all hunters have read this year’s regulations and are aware of the changes. If you haven’t read the pamphlet for this season, you still have time to get one of the free booklets anywhere permits are sold. Familiarizing yourselves with any changes could save you a big fine

Our latest edition of the SEMO TIMES is dedicated to our veterans. Thank you for your service! Pg 2 - From the Publisher's Desk - Brian Becker Pg 5 - The Echos of "Taps" - Tammy Hilderbrand Pg 6 - John J. Pershing VA Medical Center Pg 7 - Sergeant Shepard, Army National Guard at Kuwait Pg 8-9 - Centerfold of Veterans Day Ceremony at Missouri Veterans Cemetery Pg 12-13 - The Vietnam Vets Reminisce Pg 14 - Wisdom from the Woods Pg 15 - Book Review of Blackdeath 23 http://issuu.com/semo.times/docs/20141113_-_veterans