Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame

Lundy’s vision realized with first class

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Perryville’s Mike Lundy, who died in December, was remembered as a passionate advocate for veterans, even though he himself never served.

Lundy was one of the driving forces behind Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial and the drive to get Perryville recognized as a Purple Heart City, but there was one pet project he never got to see realized — the Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame.

Later this month, that project will come to life, as the newly founded hall inducts its first class of honorees.

“Mike loved our veterans and enjoyed honoring them because he wasn’t a veteran,” said Lundy’s wife, Vicki Lundy. “This was his way of giving and serving. His enthusiasm was contagious and he could always get others included in his efforts.

“My hope is that this will continue for years to come.”

The Veterans Hall board of directors — which includes retired Air National Guard Maj. Gen. Cassie Strom of St. Louis; Cary Kellett of Fenton, the former commander of the American Legion’s Department of Missouri; Randy A. Alewel of Warrensburg, retired Army Lt. Gen. Frank Grass of Columbia, and Army veteran Tom Nations of Perryville, who also serves as president of the Perry County Military History Museum — announced its first class of inductees last week.

According to a news release, candidates must have “a Missouri connection, honorable military service, and contributed exceptionally to the community, the state and/or the nation.”

The 2020 class, comprised of Joseph J. Frank of St. Louis, Ophelia “0phie” Landry 0wens of St. Louis, Brydon M. Ross of Kennett, and Harry S. Truman of Independence, will be inducted during a ceremony held at 2 p.m., 0ct. 30, in the rotunda of the state capitol in Jefferson City.

The public is welcome to attend the ceremony but masks are required.

Nations gave most of the credit for the idea of the hall to Lundy.

“Mike Lundy approached me about a year ago and said he was interested in doing something like this,” Nations said. “He said he knew that were some people around the Sikeston area that had pushed for that in the past, but it never got off the ground. He asked me if I would be interested in joining with him to see if we could meet some people and get some support for that.”

A few meetings later, and the groundwork was laid.

“This is kind of the outgrowth of it,” Nations said. “We gathered nominations from the American Legion and the VFW and other organizations that were willing to nominate veterans and we came up with four candidates.”

Topping the list — at least in terms of name recognition — is former U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

Truman served in the Missouri National Guard, Battery B, 2nd Missouri Field Artillery Regiment, from 1905-1911, and when WWI broke out, he reenlisted, was promoted, federalized and shipped to France.

Capt. Truman’s battery supported Gen. George Patton’s tank brigade and fired some of the final artillery rounds of World War I in November 1918. He later went on to become a U.S. senator, vice president and was elected the 33rd president of the United States.

As president, he implemented the Marshall Plan, established the Truman Doctrine and assisted with the implementation of NATO.

Frank served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict and was injured in a land mine explosion in 1968. After completing his rehabilitation, he dedicated his life to public service, advocating on behalf of veterans and people with disabilities. He joined his local American Legion Post and served at all levels of the organization, including being elected as the organization’s 78th national commander.

Landry Owens served in the US Marine Corps during the Vietnam era. She met her husband in the service and was forced to separate from the Marines when she married, but her service to the military continued as she volunteered extensively with several veterans service organizations during her lifetime, including the Women Marines Association and the American Legion. As a member of the honor guard, she provided military honors for 487 veterans. She died in April 2020.

Ross, a World War II veteran, served in the Army Air Corps as a B-24 pilot and 449th Group squadron leader. His squadron bombed the German oil fields at Ploesti, Romania, six times. After his separation, he was actively involved with the Kennett Kiwanis, Dunklin County Fair, Kennett Little League and served as Circuit Court Clerk of Dunklin County from 1946 to 1984. He died in August 1984.

“Our first class of inductees is an excellent example of patriotism, courage and compassion and all Missourians should be proud of this heritage,” Nations said.

Nations stressed that, for the time being, at least, the hall of fame would be virtual, existing online at www.mvhof.wordpress.com.

“Instead of looking for a building somewhere and having the expense for that we thought we would kind of do a virtual award process,” Nations said, adding that each honoree would receive a physical award.

To register to attend the induction ceremony, Nation said interested parties should visit the event page for “Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame 2020 Induction” on Facebook.

Those who wish to make a nomination for next year’s class should visit the Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame website at www.mvhof.wordpress.com or send an email to missourihalloffame@gmail.com.

The Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization incorporated under Missouri law.