Four Decades Later, A Son Brings His Father's Remains Home

Published by the VVA Veteran magazine in their September /October 2015 issue. (Photo layout: VVA)
Read the article online at http://vvaveteran.org/35-5/35-5_clever.html

BY HOLLY SHANKS

In December 2012, more than four decades after his father’s funeral, Paul Clever, 52, was sitting on an embankment in the Laotian jungle. He was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and feeling hopeless. He considered giving up after two days of wielding a machete through dense jungle.

He asked himself if he had honored his father’s memory enough to be satisfied with his efforts. If he chose to quit, it meant going back to Mississippi without finding what might be left of his father’s remains. His answer: “No, I’m not there yet. Not yet.”

Clever picked up his machete and went back to hacking his way through the jungle. The next day, his perseverance paid off: He found the crash site of the aircraft his father had been aboard when it was shot down during the Vietnam War.

Local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter Offers Support and Fellowship To All Veterans

Weekly breakfast meeting of the Vietnam Veterans of America 
Chapter 1028 at the Grand Slam in Fenton.
Photo by Holly Shanks

By Holly Shanks

Published May 6, 2015 in The Journal, Webster University student newspaper 
http://websterjournal.com/2015/05/01/the-grand-slam-hosts/

         Tucked away, on a quiet street off Gravois Road just west of Fenton, is the GrandSlam. Every Wednesday morning this bar and grill becomes a gathering place for local Vietnam veterans.

         A civilian looking for a quiet cup of coffee on a Wednesday morning won’t find it at the Grand Slam. Instead, the restaurant is filled with a lively crowd of handshaking, backslapping and welcoming veterans who show up to offer each other companionship and support.

Vietnam Veteran Recalls Webster University’s Innovative Program

Bill DeArmond the day he was discharged
from the Army in May of 1969.
Photo provided by Bill DeArmond.

By Holly Shanks

Published May 6, 2015, in The Journal, Webster University student newspaper.
http://websterjournal.com/2015/05/01/websters-vault-program-accepted-vets-when-others-didnt/

Less than one year after he was told he would never walk again, Bill DeArmond hitchhiked toward Lindbergh Boulevard. He had just arrived at Lambert Airport on a clear and sunny day in September, 1968. He was wearing the only clothes he had with him – his Army dress uniform. A passing insurance salesman offered him a ride to a Ladue Elementary School where his mother was a teacher. He wanted her to know he was home and had survived the Vietnam War.

“I had to keep pinching myself. It was so soon and sudden,” DeArmond said. “Cause we were in the field in Vietnam just (a couple of days before) and then we’re all of a sudden home.”

Leaping For Love Abounds In Missouri's Folklore

Graphic: "Show Me . . .  Natural Wonders: A Guide
To Treasures In The Missouri Region"
By Don Corrigan and Illustrated by E. J. Thias

By Holly Shanks

Published on Environmental Echo website May 5,2015. To read on Environmental Echo CLICK HERE. 

Lover's Leap folklore is associated with several of Missouri's beautiful bluffs and cliffs. Some people find the tales romantic and others find the tales of leaping lovers a senseless suicide. Here we take a look at some of the different Lover's Leap legends in Missouri.

Working Together To Save Missouri's Bats

Little brown bat; close-up of nose with fungus, New York, Oct. 2008. 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Photo courtesy Ryan von Linden/New York Department of Environmental Conservation

The race is on to find solutions and inform the public about a disease killing millions of bats in the United States - White-Nose Syndrome. The disease continues to spread and has been reported in 25 states, including Missouri.

2015 Maple Sugar Festival At Rockwoods Reservation

Photos by Holly Shanks

By Holly Shanks

Published by Environmental Echo website March 11, 2015. http://environmentalecho.com/2015/03/11/2015-maple-sugar-festival-at-rockwoods-reservation/

CLICK HERE to view the slide show from this years Maple Sugar Festival

The Missouri Department of Conservation estimates that nearly 6000 people attended the 16th Annual Maple Sugar Festival. Visitors expressed various reasons for attending the festival. Many said the weather was a main factor with temperatures reaching nearly 70 degrees. Also mentioned was bringing the kids outdoors in the nice weather for a fun field trip.

Green Burials See Renewed Interest

Graphic Provided by The Green Burial Council

By Holly Shanks

Published February 2015 on Environmental Echo Website - Click here to visit story on website







The idea of "green burials" may not be new, but the practice is seeing new interest. Green and natural burial areas are gaining new ground as well, and  offer individuals and families more environmentally friendly choices.

Minorities Needed To Diversify Police Departments

Lacey Turner at the August protests
On West Florissant Ave, in Ferguson.
Photo provided by Lacey Turner for the
KCFV article. 

Published January 9, 2015, for KCFV Radio website.

By Holly Shanks

Lacey Turner, 35, said that when he found out about the number of black police officers compared to white officers in Ferguson, he thought it was “crazy.” He said if a community has a large minority population, then the number of police should reflect that diversity.

“I feel if you don’t have that balance… the community feels like (the authorities) can’t relate to what they are going through,” Turner said. “I do think that causes tension in itself because even if you’re not trying to be – I guess racial – it puts in people’s minds you’re trying to racially have power over this community.”